Just Don't Go
by LoveWasOurs
Summary: Princess of the Suzuki clan, one of the noble clans of the soul society, faces the challenge of choosing between her loved ones and her role as princess.
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh, I'm so tired of this!"

Following her exclamation, she spun around towards the door, only to feel his hand grasp her shoulder firmly, jerking her backwards.

"Mari, if you never train, how are you supposed to get stronger?"

Akio was her protector and her trainer; he was assigned her guardian once her parents died, being someone they trusted very much. However, Mari could never seem to be on good terms with him and they constantly were at each other's throats.

"It's not the training that I dislike, it's you!"

He forced her to turn and face him, an irritated expression on his face and he held out his zanpakuto to show her. "Hold it like this."

Mari sighed and did as he said, putting one hand on the top of the hilt and one hand on the bottom but it felt somehow uncomfortable this way. "I don't like it like this though."

"Then get used to it," he sighed.

Mari clenched her jaw, taking a step away from him. "Akio, don't talk to me like that. I'm not your play thing, I'm a person and you never treat me like I am." She turned again and this time, she pulled the door open and said, "Don't follow me, I just want to be alone for a while." She rushed outside and ran past the guards into the seireitei, continuing to run until she found herself in a small grass clearing, with a small river running alongside it and she smiled. It was perfectly secluded and beautiful, just the way she wanted it.

Mari took a fighting stance and grasped the end of her hilt and pulled it out of the scabbard, holding it the way she felt comfortable, with one hand at the bottom of it and the other at her side. She swung it back in forth, finding herself having trouble keeping it under control but she muttered under her breath, "I'll show him. I'll learn how to fight all by myself and then he'll know that I don't need him."

Mari continued to recklessly swing her zanpakuto back and forth, hoping to have a better grip on her sword the more she practiced but just as she found herself going nowhere, she felt someone standing right behind her and whoever it was reached around her, taking her hands and moving one at the top and one at the bottom; the same way Akio had instructed her to do except the opposite hand was on the top and vice versa and it was much more comfortable than his way.

"You're doing it wrong," the person said as he adjusted her hands, "You'll never have good control holding it the way you were."

Mari was just about to thank him when a feeling of suspicion came over her and she turned to face him with narrowed eyes; he was a soul reaper, wearing a Shihakushō, although it was modified a bit and he was a real looker too, but she had to keep herself from letting her guard down, taking a step away from him.

"Can I ask who you are?" Her voice was cautious, as was she as she kept her sword firmly in her hands.

He smiled before confidently saying, "Yumichika Ayasegawa; fifth seat, squad eleven. And you are? You don't look like a soul reaper."

She let her hands fall to her sides, although she still held her sword. "I'm Mari Suzuki... Pleasure to meet you."

His brow raised and he eyed her. "What's the princess of the Suzuki clan doing all the way out here?"

She pursed her lips, avoiding his gaze. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm training."

"Well I would think you would have a trainer or something."

She put her sword away, crossing her arms. "I do but he's no good."

"That's a shame. It will be very hard to learn all on your own. Maybe I could help you."

Mari felt a bit surprised by his offer, with him being such a high-ranking seated officer and she didn't hesitate to nod.

"Okay. I'm busy now but we can meet here tomorrow at sunrise. Is that alright?" Mari nodded again and he smiled. "Alright, I'll see you then." She watched as he turned and walked away and she couldn't help but smile; surely he would be a much better trainer than Akio and one day, she could surpass him.

The next morning, Mari snuck out before Akio was awake and hurriedly went to the clearing where she met him the day before to find him seated in the grass beside the stream, leaning against a tree trunk. "You're right on time," he greeted her, getting to his feet.

Mari smiled, crossing her arms. "And you're early."

"Let's start your first lesson. First I want you to come at me with your sword."

Mari grasped the hilt of her sword although she gazed at him with a puzzled expression. "But you're not taking out your sword; what if I hurt you?"

He shook his head. "That's what I want you to do; come at me with the intent of hurting me. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Mari's brow was still furrowed as she slid her sword out of the scabbard and held it the way he'd instructed her the day before and he gave her a smile, almost inviting her to try to cut him and she did, running towards him as quickly as she could and she swung her sword down but her hand was simply knocked away with his. He didn't even need to draw his sword.

"Your speed is lacking and you could possibly be stronger too. That trainer of yours must have really done an awful job, sorry to say."

She raised an eyebrow, glaring at him. "Are you insulting me?"

"Well," he chuckled, "It's hard not to insult you with what little ability you have. Try again."

This time with anger welling up inside of her, she went at him again and again and he just kept dodging her easily without even needing his sword but she kept going at him until she finally managed to tear his Shihakushō a bit on the shoulder.

"Oh? It seems you almost cut me. That's good, your speed is increasing but we still have a long way to go. Keep trying."

She clenched her jaw and let her anger well up and she went at him over and over again but by the time it was noon, she still hadn't been able to cut him or his Shihakushō again but he already had to leave. "Can we meet here again tomorrow morning?" she asked, feeling almost desperate to become stronger.

"Of course. I'll see you then."

Mari arrived on time to sneak back to her bedroom and change into pajamas and pretend to have slept in, just in time for Akio to come banging on her door. "That little brat... I can't believe she's still asleep." Mari gasped under her breath, glaring at the door before getting to her feet.

"What was that, Akio? Did you say brat?"

Akio laughed sheepishly. "What? No I didn't. I didn't say anything."

Mari sighed, opening the door. "Is breakfast ready?"

He nodded and led the way to the living room table, where the food was set and she sat down and silently began to eat, completely ignoring Akio when he spoke, only feeling the complete hunger over all the battling she and Yumichika had done in the morning.

"Why did you sleep in so late?" he asked once she'd finished eating and she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't sleep well last night. Don't bother me. I'm tired so I'm taking a break today. Substitute for me today, okay?"

Every day for the next three months went exactly like that except after only a week, Yumichika had to use his sword against Mari and by the end of the three months, her skills were that of a seated officer's and she was even capable of releasing her zanpakuto and controlling it completely. Continuing training was pointless but Mari loved it so much that she didn't dare complain; it was becoming more of a game instead of training and it was fun instead of hard work.

Akio seemed to be getting a bit suspicious of her 'sleeping in' every morning but he never actually caught on.

Mari and Yumichika darted back and forth with clashes, although they were laughing together instead of getting frustrated or afraid. Neither of them was holding back as they were nearly at equal footing when it came to sparring this way. Once they were both tired out and out of breath, he paused. "Let's take a little break, I'm exhausted." Mari nodded and she plopped down at the trunk of a tree and he sat down beside her. "I never used to get so tired when we were sparring. You've definitely improved a lot; it's becoming training for the both of us instead of just you."

She smiled, reaching into the bag she'd packed early in the morning before Akio was awake and pulled out container of water and downing it before continuing to smile to herself. "You know, all this time I've been keeping our meetings here a secret from my guardian, Akio. I think he would freak out at me if he found out because he doesn't trust anybody." Yumichika chuckled and she reached into her bag, retrieving another water and handing it to him. "You look thirsty."

"Thank you." He downed his water just as quickly as she did before sighing, leaning back against the tree trunk. "I haven't told my squad about it either. I've only told my partner so that he can cover for me if my captain asks where I've been."

Mari giggled before taking another drink from her water. "I'm flattered that you'd do that just to help me out, Yumichika."

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I mean it's improved my skills a lot too so its help for both of us."

Mari sighed. "I wish I could become a soul reaper too, but I've got a bunch of stupid duties because I'm the next clan head." She reached inside her bag and pulled out the boxed lunches she'd prepared for the both of them and handed him one, which he eagerly thanked her for and they each began to eat quickly.

"This is delicious," he complimented, "Maybe I should eat lunch with you more often."

Mari blushed, looking away. "I wouldn't mind that."

Once they finished eating, she returned the empty boxes to her bag and they got to their feet, preparing to spar again when a voice interrupted.

"Ah-ha! I found you."

Mari gasped at the voice, spinning around. "Akio! What are you doing following me around?"

Akio stepped out from the trees near where they had been sitting, an angry expression on his face. "I knew it! I knew you were sneaking out in the morning. This is against the rules. You're coming with me, you little brat." He grasped her arm and she shook her head, attempting to jerk her arm away with failure.

"Akio, let me go. I don't want to go home now. Let me go. That's an order."

"That's an order I'm afraid I cannot obey. Your parents wanted me to protect you and letting you run around with random boys you find isn't keeping you safe. How do I know how many of them you've slept with already? If this gets out, Mari, the Suzuki name will be stained."

Mari clenched her jaw, glaring at him. "Akio, leave me alone. I haven't slept with anybody. I've only been meeting Yumichika here in the mornings to train and nobody knows about it."

Akio snorted, returning her glare just as coldly. "You expect me to believe that? Mari, trust me. I don't want to spend time with you just as much as you don't want to spend time with me but it's my job. If it were up to me, I would drop you out in the streets where you belong."

Mari heard a shuffle behind her and Yumichika's hand came into her line of vision, grasping Akio by the collar of his Shihakushō, weakening his grasp on Mari's arm enough for her to break free. "For a guardian, you sure seem to hate the person you're supposed to protect. Wouldn't that be a hindrance if something were to happen to Mari? How does Mari know she can rely on you to save her if you hate her so much?"

Akio grimaced, pushing Yumichika's arm away. "I don't hate her, she's just annoying. I wouldn't be so mean to her if she would stop disobeying me and breaking rules. I'm only trying to help her."

Mari clenched her hands to fists. "You haven't helped me at all, Akio. In those three months that Yumichika has been helping me, he's gotten me all the way to the level of a high-ranking seated officer and you've trained me all my life but when I first met him, I didn't even know how to hold my zanpakuto. And I'm disobeying you, you say? Aren't I supposed to be the one giving _you_ orders?"

"I'm trying to keep you in line! I'm trying to raise you to be who your parents would've wanted you to be!"

"I didn't know my parents but from what I've heard, I'm sure they would accept me as I am. In fact if you weren't so bossy, maybe I wouldn't try so hard to break rules."

Akio glared at her before tossing his arms up in annoyance and turning back around. "If you want to stay here, then fine, see if I care. Stain the Suzuki name all you want; I'm not a part of it anyway."

Mari watched him walk away and once he was out of sight, she sat down in the grass, drawing her knees to her chin and burying her face into them. She listened as Yumichika sat down beside her, and he rubbed her back with one hand comfortingly. "Don't listen to what he says, Mari. I think you're a lovely girl. I like your passion and I like your eagerness. To be honest, I'm baffled that he somehow managed to find flaws in you."

Mari blushed and lifted her gaze to meet his. "Really?"

He gave her a tender smile and a nod. "Of course, Mari." He got to his feet and helped her to hers before continuing, "I don't feel much like training anymore and you don't look like you do either. So how about we go for a walk? Maybe I can show you around the Seireitei without getting caught."

Mari grinned. "That sounds like fun. Let's go!"

They walked side by side and as they walked, Mari's hand brushed his gently, giving her a tingling feeling and a desire to take his hand in hers. She blushed at the thought, gazing at the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Yumichika had managed to show Mari around without getting caught and they were just going to take a break at his house when a bald man holding his zanpakuto over his shoulder with a surprised expression on his face approached.

"Yumichika, what are you doing, bringing her out here? You could get caught."

"I know," Yumichika responded a bit sheepishly, "but I wanted to show her around since she's hardly allowed to leave her estate, and we were gonna rest at my place until it was okay for me to take her back."

The bald man stared at Yumichika for a minute before grinning from ear to ear. "_Oh_, I see, Yumichika. So _that's_ what you're up to. You sly dog, I didn't know you could be such a pervert."

Mari blushed and Yumichika shook his head quickly. "No, actually, that's not it. We were just going to rest up a bit." The man was still grinning from ear to ear when Yumichika sighed with annoyance before gesturing to him. "Mari, this is Ikkaku, my partner. Ikkaku, this is Mari, the one I told you about."

"It's nice to meet you," Mari softly greeted, feeling a bit intimidated by this man for the way he made assumptions about her and Yumichika.

Ikkaku stepped forward, using his free hand to shake hers, giving her a grin. "We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other now, since you're Yumichika's girlfriend."

Mari blushed even more, covering her mouth. "I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"Oh, sorry, I meant _soon-to-be_ girlfriend. Speaking of which, you should consider it, he's _crazy_ about you."

At this point, even Yumichika was blushing and he fumed, "Ikkaku, maybe it's time you go home."

"But Mari and I were just starting to get acquainted."

"Acquainted? You're scaring her."

Ikkaku chuckled, holding his hand up. "Alright, alright, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Goodnight, you two." He turned the opposite direction and walked away.

Yumichika heaved a sigh once Ikkaku was gone. "Don't mind him, he's just being stupid. Anyway, let's go; my house is just ahead."

Mari let him lead the way to his house, following closely behind and they arrived safely without running into any more creepy soul reapers and he showed her around before plopping down on his bed.

"I'm exhausted," he sighed.

Mari nodded. "Me too but the last thing I want is to go see Akio at home."

"You can rest here if you want and then when it's dark, I'll take you home."

Mari blushed. "Oh, I... I don't know. I'll feel like I'm intruding."

He gave her a warm smile. "Make yourself at home, Mari." Yumichika tugged her beside him by her wrist. "Don't be shy, not around me at least." Mari met his gaze and felt her heart flutter at his expression before moving closer to him and, without hesitation, pressing her lips to his. It just felt right to kiss him, even though he wasn't making a move on her by showing hospitality; she couldn't help herself, and he didn't pull away, responding to her accordingly so it seemed he wanted to kiss her as well.

Somehow after a while, Yumichika was lying on top of her and her heart was racing so quickly in her chest it was difficult to keep track of. "Wait, Yumichika... are you sure about this? I mean we're not even dating..."

His breath was already heavy as he kissed her neck but he propped himself up on his elbows so he could face her. "Do you want to stop?"

Something in Mari was strongly against stopping but half of her was so nervous that she was shaking but she shook her head and he returned to kissing her neck, beginning to undress her.

After they had finished, Mari felt sick to her stomach with guilt. She wasn't sure why she felt so guilty; it wasn't like she had another man in her life and she didn't want to let go of Yumichika and she didn't regret kissing him the way she had. Mari sighed, her hand gently stroking his holding her bare stomach from behind and she turned back to glance at him slowly to see that he was already asleep, considering it was growing darker and darker outside. She nibbled on her lip, slipping away from him and beginning to robe herself again, praying that her clothing would appear to be a Shihakushō in the dark if anyone saw her and she slid her zanpakuto under her belt before quickly and quietly, so as not to wake Yumichika, making her way outside. She carefully snuck back the way she remembered towards the clearing that they had trained in and she couldn't help but feel afraid, running around in the Seireitei by herself in the dark.

Mari glanced back and forth and couldn't help but feeling even more afraid by the fact that it all looked the same, no matter where she turned and she gasped when she nearly ran into a pair of soul reapers with their swords on hand. She took a step back when they began eyeing her curiously. "I've never seen you around before. What squad are you in?"

"U-um," she stammered, recalling what Yumichika had said his squad is, "Squad eleven."

"So we're in the same squad?" one of them said, grinning, "Are you new?"

She glanced back and forth in a panic before nodding to them quickly. "Uh... I-I have somewhere to be so... could you please let me through?"

One of the men raised his brow, grasping her top by the collar and pulling her closer, peering down her shirt and she gasped. "Oh, you're a ripe one. Why don't you spend a little time with us and _then_ we'll let you go wherever you're headed?"

Mari grasped her zanpakuto, feigning anger although she was utterly afraid. "Let me go." When all they did was chuckle, she began sliding her zanpakuto out of its scabbard when suddenly another sword appeared over her shoulder, pointed at the two men.

"She said let her go."

Mari quickly recognized the voice as Ikkaku's and the two men took a step away from her, releasing her. "Ikkaku? Oh, we... we weren't actually gonna do anything to her, you know."

"Then leave if you know what's good for you."

Mari watched the two men disappear in the maze of the Seireitei and once they had disappeared, she fell to her knees and let herself break down in front of Ikkaku. Although she barely even knew him, she did know that if he was close to Yumichika then there wasn't any reason for her not to trust him.

"What's wrong?" Ikkaku asked, although he sounded a bit awkward, considering he didn't know her at all. She rubbed her eyes although the tears kept falling and she took a deep breath at a failed attempt to calm herself down. "Those two are gone now. It's alright, you're safe."

Mari kept rubbing her eyes, taking another deep breath before saying, with a shaky voice, "I could have defended myself against them, but it's just... I know we barely know each other but Yumichika seems to trust you so I don't think he'd mind if I told you but..."

"But what? Did you two get into a fight or something?"

She shook her head. "Actually, it's the opposite. We... we kind of... well... I slept with him and I wasn't ready. He didn't force me to... in fact, he gave me a choice and it was really nice but I just feel so guilty about it that I could puke and I don't even know why I feel like this. He didn't hurt me at all and he was really gentle with me and I'm not mad at him, it's more like I'm mad at myself for letting it happen before I'm ready. But please don't tell him about this, I... I don't want him to think that I regret it or something. Anyway, he was supposed to walk me home but he fell asleep and now I have no idea where I'm going."

Mari sniffled and wiped away the last of her tears, feeling better about saying how she felt when she saw Ikkaku's hand extend out to her. "I'll walk you home then. Wouldn't want any more of those thugs trying to attack you again because if they do, I know Yumichika will be the one getting in trouble for it."

Mari let him pull her to her feet and she followed closely behind him towards her home. "When you said he was crazy about me... were you being serious?"

Ikkaku nodded. "It's hard to get him to talk about something else. Mari this, Mari that..." He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "He's _crazy_ about you. Even though I don't think nobles and soul reapers are meant to have relationships, I do know that he really, really likes you and I support it if that's what he wants."

Mari blushed, gazing at the floor. "I really like him too, and I don't know... I just don't want him to end up being hurt in the end because my family really wants me to marry someone who is also a noble. But if he wants to give it a shot, I'm all for it."

"Then make sure you let him know."

Mari arrived at home safely, thanks to Ikkaku, and didn't even attempt to sneak in and hide the fact that she'd been out all day and felt a bit shaky upon seeing Akio. Would he be able to tell what she'd done with Yumichika?

"Where have you been all day?" he asked her. He was seated at the table with a cup of sake in his hand and his face against the table.

"I was out with Yumichika... are you okay, Akio?"

Akio sighed. "No, actually, I'm not. I've been doing a horrible job, haven't I? I'm supposed to take care of you and all I've been doing is messing up."

Mari sat down beside him. "So you've finally seen the light."

He glared at her before saying, "You're supposed to say 'no you're not, you're doing fine, Akio'."

Mari chuckled. "Well that would be a lie."

Akio sat up, sliding something out of his pocket and handing it to her. "This is from the elders. They wanted to see you but you were out so thanks for getting me scolded."

Mari rolled her eyes before taking the envelope from him and opening it up, reading it over carefully. She then gasped, covering her mouth and pushed the letter away as if it were poison. "I... no... It's not true."

Akio gazed at her curiously before taking the letter and reading it before raising a brow. "An arranged marriage? Why's that such a big deal? You've got nothing to lose."

Mari bit her lip, shaking her head. "I'm not doing it." She got to her feet and stomped off to her bedroom and Akio didn't bother trying to stop her. She washed up and prepared for bed, squeezing her eyes closed. "I refuse," she murmured to herself before easily falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Mari's eyes fluttered open and she washed up and got dressed before hurrying downstairs to find that Akio had prepared a breakfast for her and she grinned, taking a seat at the table. "Well, Akio, you're finally shaping up and it only took you seventeen years."

Akio rolled his eyes, already sitting beside her. "Whatever, it's only because you seemed sad last night so it's just to make you feel better, I guess." There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Are you still gonna see that guy?"

Mari's brow furrowed. "Of course I am, Akio. You know he's a fifth seat and we're almost at equal footing when it comes to training? I'm so happy about that because I don't want to always need someone to come rescue me. I don't like feeling so useless." She smiled and continued, "At the beginning he was a little mean but now that I think about it, I think he just wanted to make me mad to see my full abilities. But once I started catching on, he was so nice to me, he always was. Some days I would bring lunch for the both of us and some days he would bring lunch for the both of us and it was all just so much fun."

Akio gazed at her for a few long moments before returning his gaze to his breakfast. "You really like him, don't you?"

Mari nodded, nibbling on the food. "That's why I'm not having this arranged marriage. I don't care what the elders say, I refuse."

Akio shrugged. "Since it's something as serious as marriage, I'm sure they'll give you a choice. Today I'll ask them when a good time for you to meet with them is and you need to make sure to be there at that time."

Mari nodded again as she finished up and got to her feet. "I'm gonna go meet Yumichika now. See you later, Akio!" She left the Suzuki grounds and the guards let her outside and, to her surprise, she found Yumichika leaning against the wall beside the entrance and she grinned at him. "What are you doing here?"

When he met her gaze, flashes of the night before suddenly rushed into her head and she suddenly felt the same guilt from the day before come over her and Yumichika didn't seem to notice, taking her by the wrist and pulling her into his arms, holding her firmly. She clenched a handful of his Shihakushō on his back, burying her face into his chest and she prayed that things would work between them. She shouldn't feel this guilt, regardless of whether or not they're committed to each other because nobody would find out.

"Ikkaku told me what happened last night," Yumichika murmured in her ear, "I'm sorry, Mari. I should have stayed awake to walk you home. It's my fault those men almost got to you. I'm just glad Ikkaku was there at the time."

Mari felt him clench the clothing over her back the way she had done to him and she shook her head. "It's not your fault; you were probably tired from walking all over the place just for me. I could have defended myself because I did have my zanpakuto with me but... I don't know."

"I know. Ikkaku told me about that too. I'm sorry... I really am. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me because of that. I should have noticed that you weren't comfortable with it. We don't have to do that again if you don't want to."

Mari smiled, feeling comforted by his words. "It's okay; I just want to wait until I'm ready, if that's okay with you. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it because I did, I just don't think I'm ready yet." They held each other silently for a few moments before Mari asked quietly, "Yumichika... what are we?"

He took a deep, shaky breath before asking her, "What do you want us to be?"

Mari lifted her gaze to meet his and without hesitation, she told him, "I want to be your girlfriend."

Yumichika smiled, stroking her hair comfortingly. "Then you're my girlfriend." She smiled, getting to her toes and kissing his lips tenderly before resting her face in his chest and he held her tighter, kissing the top of her head before resting his chin on it.

After they held each other until Mari felt she was on a cloud she finally met his gaze, standing up straight but still standing close enough to keep her hands on his chest. "What are we going to do today? Are we gonna train, like usual or take a break?"

"Let's take a break," he answered, "We can just walk around in the woods where the clearing that we train in is. I just want to spend time with you."

Mari felt ecstatic by the time nightfall came, after spending an entire day with him, it was perfect. She had already forgotten about the news she'd received the night before and was reluctant to leave him when he walked her home, treating her to a goodnight kiss before letting her go inside and she twiddled her thumbs as she entered, afraid that if she glanced back, he would be gone but she gave in to the urge and her heart fluttered upon finding him still standing there. The gate closed and she sighed, going inside her home and barely greeting Akio before beginning to approach her bedroom when Akio's voice stopped her.

"Mari, I spoke to the elders today. They said they'll meet you tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Mari sighed, "I was hoping it would be in the afternoon or in the evening so that I could let Yumichika know, but... I guess it would be okay. Thanks, Akio. I'm going to bed."

"Did you eat?" he called after her and Mari nodded, going into her bedroom and closing the door.

Mari changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, hugging her pillow and smiling to herself as she imagined herself hugging Yumichika instead.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Mari awoke to Akio's shaking her and he pressed, "Mari, it's time to wake up. The elders are expecting you soon."

Mari sat up before shooing him from her room, quickly changing her clothes and washing up, fixing her hair for the day and she followed Akio outside to where she would meet the elders. She crossed her arms when they arrived and he stopped by the entrance, leaving her to enter by herself and she took a seat on a pillow facing the elders.

"What did you want to meet with us for?" one of them asked.

"About this whole arranged marriage business. I don't want that."

They exchanged a glance before gazing at her. "It's already been decided and the one you'll marry has already been notified. They're already preparing for your wedding. It's time you settled down, Mari. You're already the head and you need to just settle down and have children."

Mari fought back tears, glaring at them. "Don't I have a say in this? I don't want to be married like this."

"If you had come the last time we had a meeting, when we had decided this, you would have had a choice but we assumed that you would agree with it."

She pouted, her gaze dropping to her hands in her lap. "Can I at least know who I'm marrying?"

"It's a man about your age in the Kuchiki clan. His name is Haruki. He's not the head, of course, but he'll be a very suitable husband for you. Besides, he was the one who asked for your hand."

Mari nodded, getting to her feet. "Excuse me." They nodded and she approached Akio, her hands clenched to fists and she led him back to the main house. "Akio," she demanded once they arrived, "While I'm gone, I need you to get all the information you can about Haruki Kuchiki."

His eyes widened. "You're marrying into the Kuchiki clan?"

"No, I'm not. I don't care what the elders say, I refuse to get married. But just in case... I need you to find out what you can about him. He's supposedly about my age." She got her zanpakuto from her room, tucking it under her belt before rushing outside. "I'll be going now. I'm so late."

Mari rushed passed the gate and was dismayed to find that Yumichika wasn't standing outside by the gate like he did the day before so she ran as quickly as she could towards the clearing where they normally met. It was empty, much to her disappointment. She felt an ache in her heart as she gazed at the empty clearing before she dashed off towards where he had led her before, into the part of the seireitei where the soul reapers were and she ran and ran, easily becoming lost but luckily nobody had noticed her.

Mari only stopped running when she fell to the floor, running roughly into someone and she rubbed her head, squeezing her eyes closed. "I'm very sorry." She got to her feet and blinked the blur from her eyes to find herself standing before a man with a captain's coat over his shoulders and she instantly felt intimidated standing before him.

"Mari Suzuki," he greeted, curiously, "what are you doing so far away from your home?"

"I-I was looking for someone," she stammered, disregarding the fact that she had no idea who he was, yet he knew her name, "Do you, by chance, have any idea where the squad eleven barracks is?"

His brow furrowed and he pointed to his left. "It's that way."

"Thank you," she said quickly before rushing back the way she'd come and she took a different route this time, glancing back and forth and she felt ecstatic when her gaze fell upon Ikkaku talking with some other squad members just down the path. She slowed when she was near him, panting to catch her breath. "Oh, Ikkaku, am I happy to see you!"

"Who's this, Ikkaku? Is this your girlfriend?" one of the squad members he was talking with teased.

"S-she's nobody," Ikkaku quickly informed before taking Mari by the shoulder and leading her out of earshot from the others. "Mari, what are you doing all the way out here dressed like that? Anyone could easily tell you're not a soul reaper. And where were you? Yumichika was looking all over for you."

"Where is he?" she panted, "I had something to take care of but now I need to talk to him. I got completely lost. I don't know where I ended up but I ran into a captain who told me how to get here."

"A captain?" Ikkaku curiously asked before gesturing her to follow him, "What did the captain look like?"

"He was good looking but intimidating at the same time and he had jet black hair with clips in it and he was wearing a scarf. Does that sound familiar or am I being too vague?"

"That was captain Kuchiki. I'm surprised he told you how to get here, considering he's not the nicest guy."

Mari's eyes widened, gazing up at him. "Captain Kuchiki? You aren't, by chance, referring to the head of the Kuchiki clan, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he is. Anyway, you shouldn't mess with him anymore because he's merciless without exaggeration." He stopped in front of Yumichika's house. "He's inside."

Mari nodded. "Thank you so much." She knocked before opening the front door and her heartbeat began accelerating when her gaze fell upon Yumichika, standing as if he was going to answer the door and she grinned, rushing towards him and throwing herself in his arms. "Oh, Yumichika! I'm so, so sorry! I had to meet with the elders of my clan this morning."

"She ran around the whole seireitei because she got lost," Ikkaku chuckled behind her, "She somehow ended up all the way in the squad six barracks. She ran into captain Kuchiki."

"Squad six?" Yumichika gasped, warmly returning Mari's hug, "Captain Kuchiki? He didn't hurt you, did he? Was he mean to you?"

"Hurt me?" Mari chuckled, "He can't hurt me, I'm a noble clan head. He was the one who told me how to get here and then I ran into Ikkaku."

"Speaking of which, I'll leave you two alone," Ikkaku interrupted, "I'll see you guys later."

Mari couldn't bring herself to lift even a hand from Yumichika but she felt him wave behind her just before the door closed and he returned his hand to her back, holding her tightly. She tilted her head back, pressing her lips firmly to his, her heart pounding in her chest and when their lips parted she leaned her forehead against his chest, closing her eyes when she heard him chuckle. "How did I get so lucky?" She smiled, although, at his words, she could feel tears dripping from her chin and she sniffled as he cupped her cheek in his palm, lifting her face towards him, a concerned expression on his face as he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "What's wrong?" he murmured.

Mari gave him a genuine smile although her tears wouldn't stop. "It's nothing... I'm just... I'm so happy with you. I don't want this to change... ever."

He wiped away her tears again before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers again, kissing her passionately until she lost her breath. "It doesn't ever have to change, Mari."

She sniffled and held him until she calmed down. The reason why she was crying had only partly been because she was so happy; it was mostly because everything was so perfect with him and she didn't want her clan to take this away from her.

That night when Mari arrived at home, Akio was sitting at the table again, some papers in front of him and she sat down beside him, gazing at him curiously. "Mari, I found out what I could about Haruki Kuchiki. He's not a soul reaper but he's very rich. He's your age and according to everywhere I searched, he's perfect and doesn't have a criminal record at all. He's not bad looking either."

"Thanks, Akio," she smiled before continuing, "I met Byakuya Kuchiki today."

Akio's eyes widened and he gazed at her. "What happened?"

"Nothing, because I didn't know it was him. I ran into him and asked him where squad eleven's barracks are and he told me. I thought it was kinda weird that he knew my name though. I didn't know it was him until I told Ikkaku about it and he told me who it was." She got to her feet and began approaching her bedroom. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	5. Chapter 5

A month passed before the wedding date was officially set and Mari had yet to even inform Yumichika about it out of fear of hurting him. She had attempted to back out of the wedding on multiple occasions however her clan just would not allow it; they told her she had no other choice. She knew when she would be getting married, however she hadn't even met the guy yet.

With the wedding only one week away, Mari felt less and less motivated to even get out of bed anymore out of guilt from hiding it from Yumichika and lying to him whenever she was busy with something with the wedding. This morning, however, she was even more sluggish than usual, having slept only a couple of hours the night before because she knew that she had to tell him about it. She climbed out of bed and threw on whatever she found before washing up and fixing her hair and leaving her bedroom to see Akio had prepared a divine looking breakfast on the table. She smiled but shook her head. "Sorry, Akio, I'm just not hungry today."

He gazed at her worriedly, taking the sleeve of her top as she passed. "You didn't eat dinner last night either. What, are you planning to starve so you'll have a reason not to get married?"

"That's a good idea," she mused, tapping her chin, "I should do that."

His eyes widened. "No, wait, that was a joke, don't do that."

She laughed, taking her sleeve back. "Really, I'm just not hungry. Anyway, I woke up a little late so I need to go meet Yumichika."

He sighed and she turned away, gazing at her feet nervously as she approached the gate, watching it slowly open for her to reveal him with a warm smile on his face that she forcefully returned as she approached him. "Good morning," he happily greeted, planting a kiss on her lips.

"M-morning," she stammered quietly as he slid his hand into hers and they walked towards the clearing they used to train in, slowly, their feet moving in sync. "How was your night yesterday?"

"It was alright," he sighed, "Ikkaku and I were put on guard duty. Basically, we just sat around doing nothing. What about you?"

"Mine was..." she trailed off, gazing at her feet. How would she go about explaining to him that her night was spent lying in bed, crying and tossing and turning until she finally fell asleep? "Mine was okay."

"Why was it just okay?"

Mari sighed, nibbling on her fingertips. "I couldn't stop thinking about you." It wasn't a lie, at least.

He lifted her hand that he held in his and kissed it gently, giving her a smile. "Is that a bad thing?" he teased and she smiled, shaking her head.

"No, but... I couldn't sleep last night. I don't know why." When they arrived at a different clearing than usual, where the stream led to a big pond, Yumichika set down the bag he'd packed with their lunches beside a tree, setting down his zanpakuto beside it and Mari did the same, leaning against the tree, watching as he took off the top of his Shihakushō and he rolled up the bottom before sitting at the edge of the pond, his feet in the water. Mari smiled, rolling up the bottom of her pants as well, taking off the outer part of her top so that her upper body was still covered by a sleeveless white top and she sat down beside him, putting her hand over his.

"You look awfully sad today," he pointed out and she shrugged.

"I only slept a couple of hours so it's probably just the lack of sleep showing in my face."

"It's weird," he mumbled and she lifted her gaze to him to see him give her a smile, "You're the only person I know who can still look so cute after almost missing a night of sleep." Mari blushed and smiled, holding his hand tighter before he used his free hand to run his fingers through his hair, continuing, "Except for me, of course."

Mari laughed before nodding and kissing his cheek. "Yes, except for you. You're the cutest."

He shook his head, poking her cheek. "_You're_ the cutest, Mari."

"I love you," she murmured before she could stop the words and he looked surprised for a moment before giving her a warm smile.

"I love _you_, Mari."

She smiled, using her free hand to touch his chest before kissing him gently and moving closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He used the hand that held hers before to hold her waist, resting his head over hers as she closed her eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I love you, Yumichika. I'm in love... with you. I'm in love with you. Please don't forget that, okay? No matter what happens... no matter what we have to do... there's no one else I'd rather be with. There's no one else I'd rather be in love with. You're the only one for me."

He lifted his hand from her waist to stroke her hair, which calmed her down, thankfully since she was already close to tears. "I'm so happy, Mari," he murmured, "I'm so happy you feel the same way that I do."

Mari stifled a sob, fighting back her tears. "I wish that one day, we can get married and train together every day if we want to. We wouldn't have to worry about my family or what people think of our relationship. I could live with you instead of in my big empty house. I could fall asleep and wake up to the same face that I love so much. We could eat together every day and talk all day long and stay up all night together and watch the sunrise and we could kiss all day and we would never have a reason to be sad ever again because I think I'd be perfectly happy with you. I wouldn't need material things because you're all I'd need to keep me happy. That's my only wish right now."

"Who's to say it won't come true?"

At his words she couldn't hold back the sobs that were building up inside her any longer and she pulled away from him, rubbing her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop. They streamed down her face and dripped from her chin to her lap as she struggled to wipe them away and she pulled her feet out of the water, drawing her knees to her chin. "It won't come true," she said once she could finally speak, "It will never come true."

There was a long pause as he gazed at her worriedly before calmly asking, "Why's that?"

"My clan set up an arranged marriage for me. I'm being forced to marry some guy I've never even met before. I keep trying to tell them that that's not what I want but they won't listen; they don't care what I want anymore. All they care about is that I get married and I have kids because I'm the clan head and I need to have kids so that they can be ready to take my place if needed. I didn't even bother telling them about you because I know they want me to marry a rich noble. Yumichika... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm so, so sorry... I was just so afraid of what you'd say. I was afraid that you would leave me. I don't want to say goodbye to you but I don't know what else to do. We can't be together if I get married; you'd be killed."

There was another pause as the wind blew, pushing the trees and the water in the same direction before he softly asked, "When's the wedding?"

"In exactly one week. That's only one week we have left together."

Suddenly, he took her hand and pulled her towards him, kissing her lips passionately and he lifted her on to his lap, kissing her as hard as he could, holding her tightly by her waist. "No. You're not getting married."

Mari held on to his shoulders tightly, burying her face into one of them. "It's not my choice, Yumichika."

"I don't care." He kissed her again before getting to his feet and pulling her to hers by her hand and he began pulling her along behind him, only pausing to pick up the top of his Shihakushō and her top, towards the squad barracks. He led her all the way to his home and thankfully they went unseen by the other soul reapers until they arrived when he pulled her inside, closing the door. "Stay here with me, Mari. You don't have to get married."

"But Yumichika if they find me here, you could get in big trouble."

"They won't find you here." He kissed her tenderly, a desperate look in his eyes as he held her waist, his breath shaky. "I don't want to let you go, Mari." Mari couldn't say no, gazing at him with such a heartbreaking expression on his face so she nodded and he breathed a sigh of relief before embracing her. "I'll hide you here, Mari. I promise I'll try my best to keep you happy."

Mari nodded again, closing her eyes as he held her before he took her hand and gave her a warming smile. "Yumichika, I'll go home and get some clothes and things I'll need and on my way back I'll pick up our zanpakuto that we left in the clearing."

Yumichika chuckled, shaking his head. "You're going to get lost again," he teased, "I'll walk you back and I'll wait for you in the clearing. But let's go later, okay? I want to spend some time with you today."

Mari put her other hand over the hand he held before getting to her toes and kissing him again. "Yumichika... do you want to... do you want to..." She blushed, gazing up at his puzzled expression before looking away. "Do you want to... you know... sleep with me?"

He smiled, leaning forward and kissing her tenderly. "Oh, Mari, you're so cute. If that's all you wanted, you don't need to be embarrassed about it."

"This time I know I'm ready for it," she declared as he released her hands, leading her to his bedroom and she blushed again, watching as he began to take off his Shihakushō before turning away. "Um, I need to freshen up first, if you don't mind." When he didn't respond, Mari hurried towards the bathroom and gazed at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair as best as she could before beginning to undress until she was completely naked and she blushed even more at her reflection in the mirror. Although she'd slept with Yumichika once before, she knew he hadn't gotten a good look at her with her clothes off and she wasn't sure how he'd feel about her body. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger nervously before she folded her clothes and tucked them under her arm cracking the door open and peering out. Yumichika was lying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling with his hands over his chest, only wearing the bottom half of his Shihakushō but at the sound of the door opening he turned to look at her.

"Mari," he chuckled, "why are you hiding behind the door? You're the one who wanted to do this in the first place."

Mari touched her finger to her chin and she shook her head. "Um... I change my mind. You can put your clothes back on."

He laughed, getting to his feet and approaching her and she attempted to close the door but he was already beginning to push it open, reaching in and taking her by her hand, pulling her out of the bathroom. "What are you embarrassed for?" he mused, looking her up and down, "You're absolutely beautiful, Mari."

He took her waist and pulled her bare body against his, kissing her lovingly before gently taking her hand and leading her back to his bed, where she sat on top of him, helping him pull off the bottom part of his Shihakushō. She got to her hands and knees on top of him as he caressed her sides and she leaned forward, kissing him passionately. This time, she knew she was ready for him.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late at night by the time they stopped, a bit past midnight and this time, Mari only felt relieved and happy with him instead of guilty. Afterwards, they both robed again and they walked, hand-in-hand back towards the clearing and Mari felt much closer to him after sleeping with him.

The seireitei seemed almost completely silent, aside from their footsteps and Mari wrapped her free arm around his, resting her head on his shoulder. "I really do love you, Yumichika."

"I really do love you too, Mari," he softly replied, using his free hand to touch hers.

They walked silently and were halfway to the clearing when Yumichika suddenly stopped, releasing Mari and pushing her away from him and for a second she was confused, but it only took a second until someone had jumped down in front of them and Yumichika was holding the person's arm, the tip of their blade aimed at Mari. Mari gasped, grasping Yumichika's Shihakushō over his back and tugging at it. "Yumichika, we don't have our zanpakuto! We can't fight right now, we have to run!"

Yumichika shook his head, kicking the person away. Upon closer inspection, Mari realized the person was a woman, adorned with a floral kimono and she appeared to be very pretty, however her eyes were completely white as if she were possessed and just the sight of her frightened Mari. "Mari, we can't run. She's too fast. You can run and I'll fight her off until you get your zanpakuto."

"I can't," Mari protested, shaking her head quickly. "Yumichika, I can't leave you here all by yourself unarmed!"

Yumichika jumped away from the woman, glancing back to see Ikkaku running in just in time to give the woman a deep slash over her whole torso and after a few seconds she vanished into dust. "What are you two doing out here without your zanpakuto?" he turned to them.

Yumichika scratched his head sheepishly. "Well you see... we kind of ran off in a hurry and we left them behind at the place we train. But anyway, I didn't expect to be attacked, considering we haven't received warning of a betrayal or of ryoka or anything. It's so late that I didn't even expect to see other soul reapers."

Ikkaku sheathed his sword before holding it over his shoulder again. "I don't know what she was either or if there are more of them. Maybe I should stick with you guys until you get your swords back, just in case."

Yumichika nodded and as they began walking, Mari walked at Yumichika's side, glancing back and forth cautiously as if she expected someone else to jump out at them, especially when they arrived at the wooded area near the clearing. Mari rushed to pick up her zanpakuto, handing Yumichika's to him, as well as the bag he had packed their uneaten lunches in as well.

"Okay, Yumichika, I'm gonna run home and get my stuff together, okay? I'll meet you here."

He nodded and she turned, running back to her home, clenching her zanpakuto tightly in her hand and she slowed at the gate, being allowed in. As she entered, she found Akio asleep at the table with empty bottles of sake all around him and she rolled her eyes, carefully stepping over him and rushing to her bedroom. She took the first bag she could find in her room before stuffing it with all the things she needed and as much of her clothes that would fit in the bag and she closed it up tightly before tucking her zanpakuto under her belt and running back outside unseen. She ran back to the clearing to find Yumichika and Ikkaku still there, chatting away until she arrived and she caught her breath from running before smiling.

"Are you ready?" he asked, holding his hand out to her and she nodded, taking his hand.

The next morning, Mari awoke to find herself lying entwined tightly with Yumichika and she smiled to herself, relieved it wasn't a dream that she'd fallen asleep beside him. She leaned forward and kissed him although he was asleep before slipping out of his arms and taking a quick bath and she robed herself. Afterwards, she took it upon herself to prepare breakfast for the both of them and by the time she finished, he was just waking up.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a smile on her face and he gave her a warm smile, his eyes tired until he washed up and sat down at the table with her. "I wonder if Akio noticed that I didn't come back last night. He was passed out, drunk when I went to get my things and he's probably hung over right now."

"So he's a drunk now?"

Mari giggled, shaking her head. "No, he's always been a drunk so it's not a new thing. He only gets drunk while I'm asleep though so he's never hurt me or anything. Maybe he got drunk because he suspected I wouldn't be coming back."

"I think he did; I mean you're usually home by sunset and it was very late when you went to pick up your things."

"That's true. He probably blamed himself." They ate in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Yumichika... what if my clan comes looking for you? You know... they'll probably consider it a kidnapping and for kidnapping a noble head, you could be executed right on the spot."

"If I am, it will have been worth it to spend so much time with you. I'd die happy."

Mari whimpered at the thought of his death, her chopsticks slipping from her fingers. "Yumichika... do you know what I'd do if you were killed?"

"Don't say it. I won't let it happen." She lifted her gaze to him and he had a hand to his face, looking away. "Mari, I can't stand the thought of you hurting yourself."

"That's how I feel when I think of them killing you, Yumichika."

"But Mari, you don't understand... that's the thing, I'd rather die than let you get married to someone else. I'm sorry for sounding so possessive of you but I just couldn't live with myself if I let you go into a marriage knowing you'll be unhappy in it."

"I don't want to get married either but I can't hide forever."

"What do you want to do?"

Her gaze dropped to her lap. "I don't know but once they start looking for me, I can't stay here anymore. I'll leave before they find out I'm with you and I'll take whatever punishment I get. My punishment won't get me hurt but yours would." She crawled over to him before getting to her knees, wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders, holding him close. "I don't care what you say, Yumichika. If you're killed because of me, I'll kill myself."

"No, you won't. I won't let it happen."

"How are you going to stop me?"

"I already told Ikkaku that if I die, I need him to keep a very close eye on you to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"He can't always be watching me."

"Yes, he can. It would be my dying wish for him, and Ikkaku and I are very close."

Mari buried her face into his hair. "Yumichika... you must really hate me to want to give me the greatest happiness I've ever felt, expecting to rip it away from me and forcing me to try to live through that."

He put his hands on her waist, bringing her down so that she laid in his lap and he leaned forward, kissing her gently. "I'm doing it for the opposite reason; I love you too much to let you go. I know it's selfish of me, but... I don't want to have to worry about what you'll do to yourself as my last thought before I die."

"You talk about it like you're so sure it's going to happen."

"Well, you said it yourself; you can't hide here forever. One day, they'll find you here."

"So when you invited me to stay here, you knew they would execute you once they found out?"

He nodded. "Picturing you with someone else kills me inside, Mari. I don't want to live to see that. If you're going to be married to someone else, I want it to be after I'm dead."

Tears welled in Mari's eyes and she lifted her hand, giving him a deafening smack on the cheek before burying her face into his chest, sobbing. "I don't want this. I wish I could give up my name but I can't. I don't want you to die, Yumichika. How do you expect me to just go on without you, like you never existed? Nobody will ever make me feel the way you do. It's like I was in love with you before I even met you. I already wish I were dead."

"Don't say that," he whispered, holding her as tightly as he could, "Don't ever say that."

Mari cried into his clothing until she could feel the puffiness in her eyes only calming down when he laid her down in his lap again, drying her cheeks with his napkin before giving her a smile. "Are you okay now? I don't like seeing you cry."

She buried her face into his pants, giggling. "You make me feel complete, Yumichika." She kept her face buried until he stroked her hair a bit and she turned her head slightly to see the warm smile on his face and her heartbeat accelerated. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek before sitting up straight and smiling again. "Nothing. It's just that you're probably one of the weirdest girls I've ever met."

Mari found the warmth in his eyes as he gazed at her and she giggled again, putting her face back into his pants. "If you were anybody else, I would be offended and probably hit you."

He laughed before he began stroking her hair again, giving her all the comfort she needed to at least sustain her for the time being and it was completely silent for a few moments until there was a quick knock on the door and it opened to reveal Ikkaku. "Hey, Yumichika, the captain wants to talk to us about..." He trailed off when Mari sat up from Yumichika's lap, facing him and as soon as he saw her, a bright red blush filled his cheeks. "Um... am I interrupting something?"

Mari felt confused for a moment turning to Yumichika, who appeared to look completely neutral and her face grew hot as she realized that the way she was lying on his lap may have looked like something else, hidden behind the table and she shook her head quickly. "Oh, no! No, no, no! W-we weren't doing anything like that, I swear! I was just... we were just..."

She was interrupted by Yumichika's chuckling and she turned to him again, puzzled as he poked her cheek playfully. "It's funny that you're embarrassed about this in front of Ikkaku because yesterday once you were comfortable, you weren't shy at all. In fact, I was a little surprised."

Mari could feel herself blushing madly, her face burning hot and probably beet red now and she shook her head quickly, covering her mouth. "N-no, Yumichika, I don't want to talk about that with other people! Those are personal matters! And what do you mean you were only _a little_ surprised?! Are you saying I'm not modest?"

At this point, both Ikkaku and Yumichika where laughing and once he calmed down, Yumichika took her hand and gave her a smile before turning back to Ikkaku. "What does the captain want to talk about?"

"Oh yeah," Ikkaku scratched his head before sitting at the table across from them, "He wanted to talk about last night with the blind lady attacking you... but now that I'm here, I'm feeling kind of hungry and this food looks so good." Yumichika rolled his eyes and Mari immediately got to her feet to prepare him something, listening to the conversation.

"What did you tell him about it?" Yumichika asked him, a protective hint in his voice.

"I didn't tell him about Mari, if that's what you're worried about. I just said you went out for a walk late last night and you didn't bother to bring your zanpakuto because the seireitei is so quiet at night." Ikkaku smirked before chuckling, "Of course, his first assumption was that you were going to see a girlfriend. But being the good friend that I am, I told him no, and that you were going out looking for me because you felt lost."

Yumichika sighed deeply. "If that's true, I would have preferred that you told him I was going to see a girlfriend instead." Mari chuckled to herself before he continued, "Anyway... what should I tell him? The woman wasn't after me, she was after Mari and I was just protecting her. I don't know why they'd be after Mari... it's strange. I don't even want to let her leave my sight at this rate."

"Isn't Mari the soon-to-be head of the Suzuki clan? Maybe it's just someone who wants her money. They might want to kidnap her and threaten to kill her unless they get ransom money from her family."

Yumichika shook his head. "No, it's not that. The blade was aimed for a vital spot; that woman was out to kill her." He bit his thumb. "I just can't see why someone would be out to kill her, though... She told me she's hardly ever even left her clan's barracks until she met me... so why...?" He trailed off and it was silent until Mari returned and set Ikkaku's food down in front of him before returning to her seat beside Yumichika. "Mari, is there any reason why someone in your family would want you dead?"

Mari gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm only ever really in my own house so there's Akio but he would never want me _dead_. I haven't met many people in my family but whenever I do, they're always really nice to me."

"Is there someone who would take your place as head if you were killed?" Ikkaku asked.

Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "No, otherwise they wouldn't be forcing me into marriage. If I were killed, someone would probably hold the position until they found someone else to take my place and they'd most likely choose my closest blood relative. Nobody knows who that would be right now though, since I don't have any siblings and my parents didn't have any siblings either."

"If you don't mind me asking... how did your parents die?" Yumichika asked and Mari gazed at him curiously.

"Well my mother died giving birth to me and my father died in battle when I was still a baby. What does that have to do with this though?"

"Is there anything else you know about it?" Mari shook her head and he sighed. "I thought maybe that had something to do with it."

"You mean the same person who might have killed them could hold a grudge and want to take it out on their daughter?" She touched a finger to her chin, cocking her head to one side. "It seems a little far-fetched, though. I mean I never knew my parents but Akio tells me about them all the time and he tells me that they were always so happy. Even though my mother died on my account, my father never took it out on me and he always talked about how much he loved me and he would brag to everyone else about my little achievements; baby things, like when I said my first word or took my first steps. From what I've heard, he died soon after my first birthday."

Ikkaku was just finishing his food at this point and he got to his feet. "Come on, Yumichika. We'll figure this out later but we don't want to keep the captain waiting now."

Yumichika got to his feet as well and took a few steps before Mari jumped to hers and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips to his and once the surprised died, he kissed her back and her head raced when their lips parted, a blush creeping on to her cheeks. "Sorry... I just don't know how long you'll be gone and I wanted to make sure I kissed you first."

He smiled and touched her head. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Mari nodded, watching as the two of them walked out and she sighed once the door was closed, beginning to miss him already and she decided to clean up to distract herself, gathering all the dishes from the table and beginning to scrub them in the kitchen. It was strange that someone would want her dead because the only person she could recall who really knew her was Akio, but he would never want her dead... would he? She quickly shook the thought from her mind; Akio would be the last person to try to kill her.

Mari finished up the dishes before stepping out of the kitchen and gazing around; there wasn't anything else to clean, considering his house was clean when she got here. Yumichika wasn't a messy person, at least. She nibbled on her lip as she stepped into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed and touching the blanket as she recalled the day before, recalling the way he touched her and the way he held her and the way he kissed her. Every second was pure bliss. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes when, suddenly, her head was pushed down against the pillow and it felt as if a hand was pinning it down against it as someone pulled her legs on to the bed and the person spun her around, successfully pinning her down. Panicking, her vision was blurry but as she lifted her gaze she found herself gazing at a man wearing a ski mask and she could see his black eyes and she could tell they weren't showing her mercy.

She had no idea who this man was but the way he was ripping off her clothes so roughly made her want to scream, although because of her fear of what he might do to her if she screamed, she settled for silent tears as he got her completely undressed and he buried his face into her chest, taking a deep, slow breath. "Oh, Mari... you're so soft. I can't resist you anymore, you gorgeous girl." She gasped when he bit the crane of her neck roughly and she could feel the blood dripping from it. "Good girl... don't scream. You stay quiet unless you want to get hurt."


	7. Chapter 7

Mari laid in her bed, bruised, bloody and trembling as her body felt so, so cold. It was so different from her time with Yumichika; with Yumichika, her body felt warm and light afterwards and she felt so happy. Now here she lay, convulsing with her wide eyes gazing at the ceiling and she couldn't even control her shaky breathing, even when she could hear Yumichika calling her name and even when she could hear his footsteps enter the room and the sound of his zanpakuto hitting the ground with a clatter.

"Mari," he gasped, kneeling down beside her, "no... What happened?" He trembled when she didn't respond and he buried his face into the blanket and her heart sank even further than it already was at the sound of him sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Mari... this is my fault... I shouldn't have left you alone."

She lifted her shaky hand and ran it through his soft hair until he gazed up at her and she gave him a weak smile, shaking her head to give him comfort and it seemed to work as he got to his feet and sat at the edge of the bed, leaning forward and giving her a delicate kiss on her head.

"Don't worry, Mari. I'll take care of you until you feel better. And whenever I can, I'll find out who did this to you and I'll kill him." Mari said nothing as he lifted her up, letting her lean on him for support before he pulled back the blanket and let her lay back down, lifting the blanket over her shoulders. He kissed her again before getting to his feet. "Get some rest. When you wake up, you can take a hot bath and I'll make you something to eat, okay?" There was a long silence before he murmured, "I love you."

She closed her eyes at his words and the comfort of feeling him beside her helped her sleep much easier than she would have without him.

When Mari awoke, her body felt weak and she had to force herself to sit up and she gazed around before getting to her feet, stumbling a bit. She was still undressed so she took it as an advantage and hurried to the bathroom, closing the door and preparing the bath, easing into the water. It stung where she had scratches but she persevered, washing herself to get all the dried blood off of her body until she felt clean and she climbed back out of the bath, draining the bloody water before putting on her clothes. Her body still felt weak and at this point, she was even beginning to feel lightheaded as she stumbled to the living room to find Yumichika, asleep as if he was sitting at the table with his head buried in his arms. She smiled, approaching him before sitting behind him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his back between his shoulders her heart racing as she let herself fall back asleep easily.

Mari's eyes fluttered open at the sound of footsteps and when she sat up, she noticed that the sun outside was beginning to set. She climbed out of bed and approached the doorway, leaning against it as she watched Yumichika as he darted back and forth from the kitchen, where he was cooking something, to the living room, where he was cleaning the table and she smiled. "You look so busy," she giggled and he turned, startled by the sound of her voice.

"Oh, Mari," he said softly, approaching her, "Are you sure you should be out of bed already? You can rest some more if you want."

She shook her head. "I do feel a little tired still but I can't sleep on an empty stomach."

He smiled and held out his hand to her, which she gratefully took and he led her to the table. "The food's just about ready so give me a minute."

Mari nodded and watched as he disappeared into the kitchen and not long after, he reappeared with some food that he set before her and she waited for him to return with his own food before they began to eat together. "Yumichika, how long was I asleep?"

"Since yesterday morning," he answered, "but I guess you woke up after I fell asleep because I woke up and you were behind me and, since then, you've been asleep for a couple of hours."

She touched her chin, recalling what he was saying. "Oh yeah, I remember that." As soon as she began eating, she could feel the weakness in her body beginning to disappear. She ate quickly, devouring every last bite and once she was finished, she lifted her gaze to Yumichika beside her upon hearing his chuckle.

"I'm guessing you were hungry," he teased as he got to his feet and took the dirty dishes.

Mari blushed, looking away. "Well yeah, but the food was delicious too." She watched him take the dishes away and he returned after a few moments with a napkin and he knelt down in front of Mari, wiping the food off of her cheeks. "Did you carry me back to the bed?"

He nodded. "I figured you wouldn't be too comfortable sleeping like that."

She smiled. "It doesn't matter to me because I just wanted to sleep next to you. I was only up for about an hour; I took a bath and cleaned up and got dressed but I felt really weak and tired."

He gently kissed her cheek before pulling her into a firm hug. "Mari, I was so worried about you. I wish I knew who did that to you... it's probably the same person behind that woman coming to attack you."

Mari closed her eyes, returning his warm hug. "I'm not sure because the man that did it had these... black eyes. He was just different from that woman, not just the eyes. And he... he said my name." She held on to Yumichika tighter, burying her face into his shoulder. "He... After he took my clothes off, he said to me 'oh, Mari, you're so soft'..." she sniffled before continuing, "'I can't resist you anymore... you gorgeous girl.'" She stifled a sob, feeling him clench the back of her top into his fists before she continued, "Yumichika, I always thought that... sex was something that only happened between two people who really love and care about each other. I thought that after the way I felt when you and I did it, my assumptions were confirmed. I didn't know there was another way besides for the way we did it; the way you were so gentle with me and the way you were trying so hard to please me. I didn't think people could want sex from someone they didn't love, especially not to the point where they would force someone else into it."

Yumichika pulled her against him and into his lap, holding her as if she were a little girl but he had his face buried in the clothing over her chest and she could feel him shuddering as if he were crying and she held him tightly, fighting back her own tears. "This is my fault... This is my fault. If only I hadn't left you alone... if only I would have stayed here with you."

Mari shook her head quickly, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his head. "It's not your fault, Yumichika. What would you have done? Would you have just ignored your own captain's orders? I would never ask that much of you. It's my fault for letting my guard down; I didn't even have my zanpakuto on me. I think, whoever it was... I think he was watching and waiting for me to be alone. So even if you did stay behind somehow, he wouldn't have come."

She let Yumichika cry on to her for a while before he sat up again wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry," he chuckled, "I shouldn't be crying like this."

Mari shook her head, touching his cheek. "It's okay, Yumichika. You can cry to me whenever you feel like crying, okay?" She gave him a smile and he leaned towards her, giving her a tender kiss on the lips and the second their lips met, there was a knock on the door and it slid open just after they parted lips and Mari quickly pulled off of Yumichika, sitting down beside him instead as Ikkaku entered.

"Yumichika, we have a job today, remember?" Ikkaku examined Yumichika for a moment before leaning close to him, over the table. "Have you been crying?"

Yumichika nervously avoided his gaze and Mari chuckled. "No, of course not," she answered for him, "We were laughing so hard that his eyes got all watery. Everything's fine."

Ikkaku appeared skeptical at first but he got to his feet and crossed his arms. "Well? Are you going or not?"

Yumichika clenched his hands into fists, looking from Mari to Ikkaku and back again. "Do I have a choice?"

"Are you serious?" Ikkaku scoffed.

Yumichika sighed, gazing at Mari. "I don't know if I can bring myself to leave Mari alone all day long after what happened to her yesterday."

Mari gave him a smile. "Yumichika, you have to go. If you don't, your captain might get upset with you. Don't worry about me; this time I'll keep my sword close to me."

Yumichika still looked reluctant to go, even when Ikkaku reached across the table and pulled him to his feet. "We have to go, Yumichika. We don't have a choice."

Yumichika pulled away from Ikkaku. "Then Mari's coming with us."

Ikkaku's expression was just as shocked as Mari's. "We can't bring her. What if her family happens to see her with us? Or what if the captain happens to see her? There are too many risks."

Yumichika clenched his fists again. "There are too many risks leaving her by herself here, too! If I have to go, then she's coming too."

"Yumichika, do you hear yourself? What if we're in danger somehow? Do you want to put her in danger with us?"

"I'll protect her with my life," Yumichika declared.

"What if that's not good enough? What if you try to protect her and you're killed but she's killed too?"

Mari got to her feet and interrupted, "If that's the biggest risk, then I would be glad to come along if it will put Yumichika at ease." They both gazed at her with wide eyes and she gave Yumichika a smile. "If I die, I would be happy to die with you. But if someone finds their way in here again and they kill me, then I won't get to die with you. Of course, I want you to live but knowing you, you'd probably throw yourself in front of me to protect me. Besides," her smile became one that was almost sarcastic and her eyes were cold as ice as she gazed at them, "I don't want you two to underestimate my abilities and talk about me like I would just be extra baggage. I can protect myself too, you know."

Ikkaku chuckled nervously, holding his hands up and Yumichika gave her a friendly smile. "Then it's settled."

Mari walked between Ikkaku and Yumichika, holding her zanpakuto in one hand and the other casually swinging at her side. Yumichika touched her shoulder from behind her with his free hand. "Are you bored? The sun's gonna come up soon. Do you want to go back home now?"

"If the mission is over, then can we?"

Yumichika nodded, returning his zanpakuto to its scabbard and taking Mari's hand as she did the same. "Ikkaku, we'll be going now."

"Wait," Ikkaku demanded and gazing at him, Mari realized that he was holding his zanpakuto firmly and standing in a fighting stance. Yumichika was holding his breath as he took out his sword again, holding Mari close to him protectively and she clenched her jaw, grasping the hilt of her sword as she gazed around, sensing that there were people nearby. She stifled a gasp when they suddenly appeared, surrounding the three of them; there were at least twenty of them and Mari wasn't sure how the three of them could possibly handle them all on their own. They looked just like the first woman who attacked; pure white eyes and they looked like regular konpaku from the soul society except they each held a sword. They had blank expressions on their faces, almost appearing brainwashed somehow.

Then Mari heard a woman's laughter from above and she lifted her gaze to see that there was a woman standing above them with her arms crossed. "Thank you, princess. We were waiting for a moment to strike but you brought yourself out in the open so this should be easy, even with those bugs you brought for us to squash." This woman was different; her eyes were normal and she seemed to be acting of her own accord. She put a finger to her chin. "You know, it was very easy to figure you out by sending our first soldier as a dummy test." She pointed at Yumichika. "He is your boyfriend." Then she pointed at Ikkaku, "And he's the one who always jumps in to save the day when your boyfriend utterly fails to." She returned her finger to her chin. "So then we will kill the bald one first so he won't interfere and then we will kill the boyfriend in front of the princess. Let the princess live; I want to be the one to kill her in the end."

Yumichika pushed Mari behind him. "Stay behind me."

Mari took a step back, clenching her jaw again. "Remember what I said, Yumichika? I can protect myself." She withdrew her sword and held it in a fighting stance, standing with her back to Yumichika's. "I'll have your back, okay?"

Yumichika nodded once and the woman laughed again. "Okay, soldiers. Attack!"

Mari was immediately bombarded by multiple of them and she swung her sword to keep them back because she knew if she made one mistake, she could cost Yumichika his life. The thought made her panic but they were everywhere; she couldn't protect Yumichika like this. She stabbed the one in front of her and gave the other two deep slashes in their torso, turning each of them to dust before spinning around and killing the one who was prepared to cut Yumichika's side. "This is ridiculous!" she shouted before holding out her zanpakuto as it glowed blue. "Storm, Sukai Mizu!"

"Mari, don't do it!" she heard Yumichika gasp behind her but it had already begun to rain and her zanpakuto's blade disappeared, the guard and hilt remaining and changing into a beautifully woven intricate blue pattern with long blue ribbons on the end, flowing like water.

Mari gazed around at all of the soldiers around as the water thickened around their necks and she lifted the hilt in her hand and tugged at it and, as if she had an invisible blade to their necks, their heads snapped off and they immediately turned to dust. She lifted her gaze to the woman, who was gazing at her in utter shock and the water thickened around her neck and torso and limbs and Mari jumped up to be at her level. "You know, from that first battle with the woman, I didn't have my zanpakuto so you don't know how strong I am. How dare you be so naive to think you can kill me when you've never even seen me fight?"

Mari lifted the hilt to her side and it began absorbing the remaining water on the ground and some of the rain water too and a thick blade began forming with smaller points all along it and she lifted it over her head, swinging it down. The blade stretched out, aiming for the woman and just as the woman took out her sword to block it, Mari did a flash step behind her and the flexible blade wrapped around her neck and cut off her head like the rest. This woman, however, didn't vanish into dust like the rest; she fell to the floor and slowly began shedding into flakes of reishi, the way any other soul or soul reaper in the soul society died.

Mari slowly descended to the floor, her shikai slowly transforming back into the regular sword form and the rain stopped. Once her feet hit the floor, she fell back and Yumichika caught her just in time to keep her from falling to the floor, sitting on his knees and holding her on top of him. "You'll be okay, Mari," he quickly said, "I'll take you home and you'll be okay."

"Yumichika," Ikkaku approached from behind and at the sound of his voice, Yumichika sighed, closing his eyes and nodding.

Mari could feel herself weakening but her vision was still clear as she gazed at the man approaching; he was frighteningly tall and he wore a captain's coat over his shoulders, although it was worn and shredded at the bottom, showing how often it's been in battle with him. "Who is this?" he said and Mari felt Yumichika hold her tighter. "By the way Yumichika is straddling her, I can tell she's not an enemy. It's a shame; she seems like she'd be a strong opponent, the way she just killed all of those people. But she's not a soul reaper." He knelt down in front of her. "Who are you?"

Mari opened her mouth to speak and Yumichika held her even tighter, shaking his head. "She's not strong, captain. She hasn't even completely mastered her shikai and she's not much of a fighter. Her zanpakuto is mostly only good for taking out masses of weak people. The way she killed the other woman was a stroke of pure luck. Look at her; just using her shikai wears her out this much. If she over does it, she could even die."

"Is that so?" the captain said, "Does she have a name? Only soul reapers are supposed to be in this part of the seireitei."

"My name is Mari..." Mari's throat clenched at the thought of revealing her surname; would he send her home? But not only that, she didn't even want to utter her family name because that was the reason why she couldn't stay with Yumichika.

"It's okay, Mari," Yumichika whispered to her, "He won't send you home; he doesn't care enough to be involved."

Mari trusted Yumichika's word the most and managed to finish, "... Mari Suzuki."

The captain tapped his chin. "Suzuki?" he repeated slowly and Mari's heart raced with fear, clenching Yumichika's sleeves over her belly, gazing up at him with wide eyes. "That name sounds familiar."

Mari nearly fell over with relief, happy that he didn't even know where the name was from. "It's not important," she told him.

Yumichika's grasp on Mari loosened a bit and she could tell he was relieved as well. "Did you see everything that happened?" he asked the captain, who nodded.

"None of you happen to know what those are, do you?"

Mari shook her head. "Captain, if you don't mind, I want to take Mari home," Yumichika lifted Mari like a child, getting to his feet, "I'll meet you and Ikkaku at the squad barracks." Ikkaku and the captain both nodded and Yumichika began walking, a relieved expression on his face. Mari glared at him angrily, crossing her arms and he didn't happen to notice her expression until halfway there. "What's wrong?" he asked her and she responded by turning her face away, closing her eyes. Once they arrived, he laid her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "Can you tell me what's wrong? Did I do something to make you mad me?"

"You called me weak," she answered, turning away from him, "You lied to your captain and said I didn't master shikai when I did."

"You don't understand," he chuckled, shaking his head, "If I let him think you're strong, he might want to battle you. My captain is brutal when it comes to battle because that's how squad eleven is; you wouldn't stand a chance against him and I don't mean that, by saying that, I'm calling you weak. He's just too strong. And besides, you haven't _completely_ mastered shikai. It still takes away all your energy. Your shikai is very powerful so I don't expect that you master shikai so quickly; it's just that your zanpakuto has more power than you do and that's why it drains your energy."

Mari sighed. "But you always treat me like I'm so inferior to you but when we were training, you told me that we're at equal footing. You always act like you have to protect me, like I'm some kind of fragile doll or something."

Yumichika chuckled again and Mari could hear him climbing on to the bed beside her and he turned her to face him before lying down, resting his head on her belly and wrapping his arms around her. "I don't think you're inferior to me, Mari, really. You're very strong, as a matter of fact. But I know that you have so much potential and you could probably end up becoming captain-level and so there's always a chance that you could get hurt if you go into battle. I just don't want to take that risk. My top priority is your safety. I protect you so that if the time ever came, I would die before you even got a scratch on you."

Mari closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the pillow. "Then if you die, who's going to protect me?" When he stayed silent, she continued, "What if I got hurt in battle after you're dead? You know, I'm sure Ikkaku would try to protect me for your dying wish but you know he's got things to do too, sometimes. He can't protect me all the time, like you can. He has his own life too." He lifted his gaze to her but said nothing and she continued, "You know that feeling you get when you think about me getting hurt or dying? That's the same way I feel about you."

"Mari, I... I don't want to see you get married."

"But if you die, that's not going to stop it from happening so you will have died for nothing. I love you, Yumichika, and I don't want you to waste your life like that."

He buried his face into her top, staying silent for a few long moments, as if her words were sinking in and she lifted a hand, stroking his hair gently. "So what do you want to do, Mari?"

Mari gazed up at the ceiling again, continuing to stroke his hair as she took a deep breath. "I think it would be best if I went back home again the day after tomorrow. That's a couple days before the wedding and I'll have time to prepare... do you want an invitation?"

Yumichika shook his head. "No... thanks." There was a long pause as Mari closed her eyes, wishing that the days they had together would never end. "Mari... will I ever see you again after you go?"

Mari kept her eyes closed, a wave of sadness coming over her at the sound of the hurt in his voice and she continued to stroke his hair. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "but I really hope so. I promise that if I ever get the chance, I'll come visit you."

He held her tighter, whispering, "It's... it's not fair. Why does he get to have you but I don't? Have I... have I done something to deserve to feel like this?"

Mari felt tears welling in her eyes and she sat up, forcing Yumichika to sit up with her. "Yumichika... sleep with me. I want to have as much of you as I can before we have to part."


	8. Chapter 8

Mari's eyes fluttered open and she gazed around; it was about noon, considering the way the sun looked outside so she had only slept a few hours but Yumichika wasn't beside her and the blanket was pulled up to her chin over her body undressed. She must have fallen asleep as soon as they'd finished earlier and he pulled the blanket up but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd gotten any sleep either because usually he was the one who fell asleep right after sex. She climbed out of bed and gathered an outfit to wear before taking a quick bath and getting dressed.

Mari left the bathroom and peered into the living room to see him sitting at the table with his head down against it, gazing at a wall and she approached him, leaning down so that she was in his line of vision, giving him a smile. "Did you fall asleep at the table again?" He had a dead expression on his face, looking right through her as if he was lost in his thoughts and her smile faded quickly, sitting down beside him. "I sure hope you slept a little bit before now."

"How can I sleep?" he sighed, "The love of my life is leaving me and I can't do anything about it. I feel so useless... I know you don't want this either and I can't do anything to stop it."

Mari pouted, wrapping her arms around his head on the table and leaning her forehead against his cheek. "But I know that the one thing that will sustain me is that I'll always think of you and remember that you love me and I know you always will. Why don't you think the same thing? There's no way I'll love whoever I end up marrying at all, when I got to spend so much time with you. Even if I do, I'll never love him more than I love you, and I'll never stop loving you."

Yumichika pulled away from her, sitting up. "How do you know that's true? What if you do end up falling in love with him? What if he treats you much better than I do and he can give you so much more? What if I'm stuck here, pretending you still love me like a fool while you're out there, happy with another man?"

Mari put her hand over her heart, giving him a smile. "Yumichika... Before I met you, I didn't even know what love was but I never thought it would be as powerful as it is. I know this is going to sound clingy but... when I'm with you, I feel like I'm on a cloud and when we're apart, I feel like there's a piece of me missing. You're the one who has my heart, Yumichika. If I did end up loving him, I would always know in the back of my mind that he's still only second best and I know that if that happened, the second I could see you again, everything I've ever felt for you would come rushing back. I just know it. You're the only one for me. If I'm the love of your life, you're the love of mine. I'll never be able to love anyone the way I love you. Don't underestimate how I feel about you."

Yumichika's eyes turned pink as if he were holding back tears and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and putting a hand on the back of her head so that her forehead was pressed against his. "If we feel so strongly for each other, why can't we be together?"

Mari grasped two handfuls of his Shihakushō's collar, leaning closer and kissing him as passionately as she could, praying that he could sense how strongly she felt for him through her lips and she could feel him tangling his fingers into her hair, kissing her hard. She only parted lips with him once she needed to catch her breath and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest, kissing the top of her head. "Even if we can't be together physically, our hearts are always together, Yumichika."

There was a knock on the door and it opened but Yumichika didn't let her go, only turning his head and Mari turned hers as well, to see Ikkaku at the door. "Ikkaku, do you need something?"

Ikkaku furrowed his brow, holding his sheathed zanpakuto over his shoulder. "The captain wants us to patrol again. Apparently those things only come out when we're out there... or, more specifically, when _she's_ out there."

Yumichika held her tighter. "So he wants us to use her as bait basically?"

Ikkaku nodded. "Yeah, basically."

Yumichika closed his eyes and nodded, as if thinking for a moment before getting to his feet and pulling Mari to hers. "Okay, then let's go."

Ikkaku gave Yumichika a skeptical look. "That wasn't the reaction I expected from you."

"Nothing is going to happen to Mari as long as I'm with her."

They set out and decided to split up, since they would cover more ground and get done faster if they did, Ikkaku promising he'd return if he sensed anything out of the ordinary. Mari walked close to Yumichika, a step in front of him so that he could keep an eye on her and she held her zanpakuto in one hand, examining her surroundings with her eyes and senses.

Suddenly Yumichika pulled Mari against him, aiming his sword at the corner of a wall ahead. "Show yourself."

Mari felt a wave of sudden fear coming over her, sensing the strength of the spiritual pressure of the person behind the wall; it felt as strong as a high ranking seated officer. She used her free hand to clench Yumichika's Shihakushō as she held her zanpakuto tightly in her other hand, preparing herself for battle.

A sheepish chuckle sounded behind the wall and Akio stepped out, scratching his head. "I guess I should think twice about spying on a high level soul reaper."

"Akio!" Mari said happily but when Yumichika didn't lower his zanpakuto, Mari came to the realization that he was most likely following her to take her back home. Mari's smile faded and she moved closer to Yumichika. "Akio, you might as well go back home because I'm not going with you... not yet, at least."

Akio held up his hands, shaking his head. "I didn't come here to take you home. I just was nearby and I sensed your spiritual pressure, Mari, so I came here to check on you. Of course I didn't intend to actually be noticed but I was never good at being stealth."

Yumichika reluctantly lowered his blade, relaxing a bit at his words and Mari smiled again. "How have things been without me?"

"Chaos," Akio rolled his eyes, "Everyone's trying so hard to hide the fact that the princess ran away and the wedding preparations are all being postponed and the elders are angry. Oh, and I met your fiancé."

Yumichika lifted his sword again. "She doesn't want to hear it," he snapped and Mari could see that it was only because he was hurt and jealous.

Akio scratched his head again, a puzzled expression on his face. "I thought you'd be happy if I told you she's gonna be in good hands."

Yumichika sheathed his sword, clenching his jaw and turning away from both of them, walking in the opposite direction that they were before. "We have a job to do right now. We don't have time to talk."

Mari ran to catch up. "Yumichika, wait!"

He suddenly stopped again, holding his arm out to keep Mari from going any further and he slid his sword out of the scabbard, holding it up. Suddenly a silhouette showed as if it were going right through the wall and once it fully appeared, it revealed to be just a silhouette of a person in a manifestation made of gas. Yumichika lifted his sword higher, not taking any chances but the second before he would swing down his sword, some of the gas surrounding the silhouette shot towards him, filling his mouth and he stiffened, turning to Mari.

"Mari, are you okay?" he asked her and she furrowed her brow.

"I should be the one asking you that!" Mari turned towards Akio behind her, feeling panicked. "I don't know what happened, Akio! What should we do?" Suddenly she felt a searing pain stemming from her back and chest to the rest of her body and she shakily lowered her gaze to see a zanpakuto running through her, but the only person behind her was Yumichika... it couldn't be... She slowly turned her head to see Yumichika standing behind her, gazing at his hands holding his sword in complete shock and his sword disappeared into her back. He slid the sword from her body and she stumbled towards Akio, pointing at the ghastly silhouette and Akio attempted to cut it but it vanished before he could and Yumichika fell to the floor, that same gas that filled his mouth leaving and vanishing with the creature.

Mari knelt down beside him, checking if he was breathing and heaving a sigh of relief when she could feel it; he was just fainted now, he would be fine. She rested her head on his chest, feeling tired as she listened to his steady heartbeat and she closed her eyes. "Mari, I need to get you fixed," Akio panicked behind her, "If you bleed any more, you could die."

Mari nodded. "Akio, are you going to take me home so they can heal me?"

"Of course," Akio answered, "You'll be in top care there."

"Okay. Can you do me a favor though? I'm feeling really tired now so... can you wait here before you take me home and make sure Yumichika wakes up? Tell him that... I'm sorry we didn't get to officially say goodbye but one day... one day we will."

Akio's eyes widened as he watched Mari stop moving as if she was asleep and he quickly lifted her up with one arm, kneeling down beside Yumichika and shaking him with the other. "Hey... hey, wake up."

It wasn't difficult to get him to open his eyes and he gazed around before his gaze found Mari and he gasped, sitting up quickly. "Oh, no... I can't believe I... I can't believe I did that to her."

Akio shook his head. "That looked like possession. Don't blame yourself. Anyway, she wanted me to make sure you woke up. Don't worry about Mari, she'll be fine; the Suzuki clan will make sure she gets completely healed."

"The Suzuki clan?" he repeated slowly before dropping his gaze. "Okay. When she wakes up, tell her I said I'll miss her."

"Oh yeah, she wanted me to tell you that she's sorry that you guys didn't get to properly say goodbye."

"Yeah," he simply said before getting to his feet and walking away.

"What a weirdo," Akio muttered under his breath.

Mari's eyes fluttered open and she gazed around, feeling tired. She was lying in a hospital, probably with squad four and she lifted the blanket, touching where her wound was to see that it was almost entirely healed. She sat up and drank the water at her bedside just as a woman entered, dressed like a nurse, holding a clipboard.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Suzuki, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened to you so that nobody else has to get hurt that way."

Mari cocked her head to one side, recalling what exactly had happened and her heart sank as she realized she would probably never have a chance to spend time with Yumichika again and she laid back down, pulling up the blanket and closing her eyes. "Ask Captain Zaraki what happened. I don't want to talk about it."

The woman appeared flustered before bowing to Mari. "Okay. I'm sorry for bothering you." She quickly rushed away and Mari turned over, sighing.

"You seemed troubled."

Mari clenched her jaw at the sound of one of the elders and she didn't dare open her eyes or turn over. "I'm lying in a hospital bed after brutally being stabbed. I'm just a little troubled."

"That's what happens, Mari. When you become close to someone who is poor, you can get attached but they will only ever want you for your money."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"The one you're marrying will be much better to you. He has his own money, being a noble and he will be able to take care of you. He won't stab you the moment he finds out he won't be getting any money."

"_Shut up_," Mari exclaimed, "Stop badmouthing him. You don't even know him and you don't know what happened." When there was a long silence, Mari murmured, "Can I at least meet the man I'm going to marry before the wedding?"

"Of course. Go see Byakuya Kuchiki and surely he will let you. Take Akio with you." Mari listened as the footsteps behind her approached the door. "By the way, your wedding will still be held on the same day. That means tomorrow you will choose a wedding outfit and we will have to squeeze in the yui-no that was scheduled on a day you were gone and the day after we will begin the rehearsal. Of course you will have people for your hair and makeup and even when you choose a dress you'll have people to help you choose the right one."

Mari said nothing as the elder left and she clenched her blanket tightly, turning on to her back and gazing up at the ceiling angrily. "Akio."

Akio appeared beside her. "Do you need something?"

"Once I get out of this wretched place, I need you to guide me to Byakuya Kuchiki. I want to meet this man I'm going to marry."

Akio nodded once before hesitantly stepping towards her bed. "Mari... before I brought you here... Yumichika told me to tell you that he'll miss you."

Mari's eyes softened and she turned on to her side again. "I don't... really want to talk about Yumichika right now. It still hurts too much."

Once Mari had been released, she returned home to change her clothes and fix her hair before letting Akio lead her through the seireitei to the squad six barracks. Mari had hoped to run into Yumichika while they were walking but she didn't get that lucky. It was easy for her to find Byakuya Kuchiki and she stood before him, recalling the time she'd run into him in search of Yumichika so that he didn't think she was standing him up. This time, instead of acting timid, she held her chin high, a confident expression on her face.

"I know you're very busy, but I wanted to meet Haruki; my fiancé, if it's not too much trouble."

Byakuya led them to the Kuchiki house where a man waited outside, clad in extremely expensive looking clothing with jet black hair similar to Byakuya's except shorter, with long bangs in the front that were parted twice so that his black eyes could be visible. He was very handsome except, as she approached, she noted that his eyes were very familiar somehow yet she couldn't pinpoint where exactly she'd seen them. She stopped in front of him and he smiled, examining her before turning his gaze to Byakuya. "I came because I sensed you coming with someone but I didn't know you were bringing me a present, and a very pretty one at that."

Mari blushed, looking away; outside of her family, Yumichika was the only one who ever called her pretty so it took her by surprise. Byakuya turned away and began walking back the way he'd come and Akio chuckled sheepishly, taking a step back. "I'll just leave you two alone. Mari, call for me when you're ready to go home."

Akio did flash step and disappeared, leaving Mari with Haruki and she felt a bit uncomfortable standing here before him but she knew she had to do this; she needed to know what he was like so she could at least pretend to be happy. Haruki held out his hand to her. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

Mari took his hand and let him lead her past the gate and towards the forest near his home. It felt so wrong to be holding his hand and walking to a forest; this was something she'd only ever done with Yumichika. "Haruki... can I call you Haruki?"

He nodded. "Of course, we are betrothed anyway."

Mari nodded once, keeping her gaze ahead. "Just out of curiosity... why did you request to marry me? There are many other beautiful noble girls you could have chosen, even in your own clan."

Haruki shrugged. "I don't know. Something about you just caught my eye; like love at first sight. After all, you're very beautiful." There was a short pause before he continued, "Mari... I'm surprised you came to see me."

Mari lifted her gaze to him. "Why's that?"

"Because I heard that you didn't want to get married." He had a hurt expression on his face as he spoke. "It made me very sad to hear that... I suppose I could call off the wedding but I don't think I'll ever find a better woman."

Mari blushed again, gazing at him; his words seemed to be sincere. She dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry. You don't have to call off the wedding. I didn't mean to hurt you, it just... it came to me as a shock." Of course she was lying; she really didn't want the wedding, and she still didn't but she couldn't bring herself to hurt his feelings, although she knew if Yumichika heard that he'd call off the wedding so quickly, he would do anything in his power to force him to. But then again, Mari and Yumichika weren't together anymore so it shouldn't matter what he would do, right? Although she'd much rather be with Yumichika. At least she knew the first person she'd go to if Haruki mistreated her; then again, Yumichika would kill him in a heartbeat if he knew she was being mistreated.

"I'm glad," he gave her a smile, "I'd be honored to marry a girl as beautiful as you." After a long silence, upon reaching the forest, he asked her, "Have you ever been in love before?"

Mari blushed madly, gazing at her feet. "N-no... but... isn't it a little early to be talking about love?"

"I know, I know," he chuckled, "but one day, I know we'll fall in love."


	9. Chapter 9

Once they'd finally walked back to his house, he invited her into his home and they sat down to eat and she found herself having a good time with him although she didn't consider him a love interest and she never would. He didn't make her laugh nearly as much as Yumichika did but he was very friendly and hospitable and he would make a good husband to a girl who would be the perfect housewife. Of course, Mari was willing to play perfect housewife for Yumichika but she knew she could never cater to anybody else the way she catered to him.

After eating, she said goodbye and began walking back with Akio. "Do you like him?"

Mari sighed. "He seems like a nice guy, but... there's only one guy I love right now and it's not him."

Akio scratched his head, gazing around. "So you're not going to let this whole thing go?"

Mari glared at him angrily in astonishment. "What do you take me for, Akio? When I say I'm in love, I'm in love. Besides, even though he's a nice guy, I just don't feel the sparks, like I did with Yumichika. He's the only one for me."

Akio sighed, shrugging. "I just don't know. He seems like the kind of guy who would come rushing after you, even at the cost of his life. Why hasn't he done that?"

"Because he knows that it's stupid and he'll just be killed. I told him not to do something that would get him killed because it's not going to stop the wedding."

While walking through the seireitei, Mari still couldn't find Yumichika anywhere she looked but ironically, she found Ikkaku ahead and she stopped once she was near him. "Ikkaku... where's Yumichika?"

Ikkaku shrugged. "He's at home. He said he didn't feel good."

"You should go make sure he's okay."

"I was already on my way there right now actually. Why don't you come with me?"

Mari shook her head quickly. "No, I... it's better if I didn't go. And please don't tell him that you ran into me, okay? It might hurt him even more."

Ikkaku nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Mari nodded and skirted him, following Akio the rest of the way to her home and she stepped inside, sighing as she approached her bedroom. "Sorry, Akio, but I'm gonna go to bed now so try not to bother me until tomorrow morning." Mari closed her bedroom door and changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed and squeezing her eyes closed. "God, I hope you're okay, Yumichika."

Akio gazed at the wooden door in front of him, hesitantly lifting his hand to knock. "What am I doing here?" he muttered under his breath before pushing the thought away; he needed to do this. He knocked on the door and there was a long pause, before it slid open, revealing the bald headed guy that Mari ran into earlier, and he recalled that she'd called him Ikkaku.

"Aren't you that guy who was with Mari?" Ikkaku asked, his brow furrowed, "Do you need something?"

Akio took a deep breath. "Is Yumichika there?"

Ikkaku nodded, crossing his arms. "Do you want something with him? He's not doing too good right now."

Akio sighed, giving him a half smile. "Mari isn't either. I just wanted to talk to him."

Ikkaku snorted. "Good luck trying." He stepped aside to reveal Yumichika sitting at the table with his chin down on the table and one arm tucked under it, the other stretched out and holding a cup, rocking it slowly back and forth. The contents looked like sake. He truly did look in a rut.

Akio sat down across from Yumichika and behind him, Ikkaku closed the door and leaned against the wall. "It's good to see you, Yumichika. How are you doing?"

Yumichika furrowed his brow, only pulling his gaze away from his cup to glare at Akio. "How does it _look_ like I'm doing?"

Akio sighed, holding up his hands. "Okay, I know we got off on a bad start... if you remember back in the woods when we met. But trust me, your words that day really got to me. I've changed."

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "I don't care, really. Are we done here?"

"You don't care how Mari is doing?" This seemed to catch his attention as he turned his gaze to Akio, letting his cup go flat on the table. Akio smiled. "Mari's a strange girl, isn't she? All day long today, she had pink eyes like she was going to cry but she pretended she was fine the whole time. I can tell she's not ready to let go and obviously you aren't either."

Yumichika returned his gaze to his cup, rocking it again. "You say that like we have a choice."

Akio touched his chin. "You've already given up?"

Yumichika clenched his jaw, letting the cup go flat when Ikkaku spoke up. "He's kinda right, Yumichika. If you love her enough to sit around your house and drink sake instead of doing your job when she's gone, then you love her enough to try and win her back."

"Mari doesn't even like the guy she's going to marry. She met him today and she's already decided she doesn't like him. Do you want Mari to be unhappy for the rest of her life?"

Yumichika closed his eyes and bared his teeth at them, squeezing the cup so hard that it shattered to pieces. "Did you just come here to taunt me? I swear I'll kill you."

Akio sighed again. "I have a gift to you for training Mari for me and taking care of her when I couldn't."

"I don't want your stupid, worthless materialistic junk."

Akio shook his head. "Listen, Yumichika. I'm Mari's guardian and I'm the one who does everything for her. I do all of her paperwork, I arrange all of the Suzuki families' events, and I make a lot of clan head decisions, just so she doesn't have to deal with the burden. When the family was planning out the wedding, I was the supervisor. I'm the one anyone turned to with an idea and I could accept it or turn it down so I know exactly what it's going to be like. I have a plan but I need you two to cooperate with me."

Ikkaku sat down beside Yumichika. "We'll do it," he answered for them before Yumichika could speak.

"Okay," Akio went on, ignoring the fact that Yumichika hadn't been given an option, "There will be two guards at the front and two guards by the door where the bride comes in. Ikkaku will come in after Mari and take on both of the guards at once and I'll be standing by the window, where the vows happen and I'll take on both of the guards in the back at once. Yumichika, you jump in the window as soon as all four guards are distracted and you take Mari and go."

Ikkaku scratched his chin. "Sounds easy enough but won't we get in big trouble if we just barge in like that?"

Akio shook his head. "Don't wear your Shihakushō. Wear something else that you have that's all black so you can hide easily and wear ski masks. I'll get in trouble but I know I won't be horribly punished because I'm the only one who can do all the clan stuff."

"That's a stupid plan," Yumichika spoke up, fingering the wet broken pieces of his cup, "You're forgetting all the other people in the audience who are soul reapers. You're also forgetting that one of those guests will be Captain Kuchiki."

Akio scratched his head. "This is just a hunch but I get this feeling from Byakuya that he doesn't like Haruki. Whenever I'm in the same room with both of them, I just get this cold chill. I just don't think we'll have to worry about Byakuya."

"Just because he doesn't like him, that doesn't mean he's not going to keep the peace at the wedding. It's still the wedding of someone in his clan."

Akio sighed. "I wouldn't be proposing this idea if I wasn't completely sure we wouldn't die. Just trust me on this. If you two conceal your spirit energy then we will have the element of surprise and the other soul reapers that will be there are not going to be strong. Besides, as long as Ikkaku and I have them distracted, if you're fast enough, then you can just get her and go without getting even a scratch. You're the one with the easiest job, Yumichika, so you shouldn't be complaining. Just flash step in, grab her, and go. I know you can't keep her with you permanently because you'll get in trouble but you'll have her with you long enough to properly say goodbye."

Yumichika sighed, looking away. "Why should I go along with this?"

Akio chuckled. "For Mari, of course. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm not even doing it for you. I'm doing it because I don't like seeing her so sad. She doesn't want to have this wedding just as much as you don't want it to happen."

"I'll think about it," he muttered, getting to his feet.

"The wedding is in two days and I know Mari won't catch on because she's going to be really busy with preparations. If you decide to do it, meet me that morning." Yumichika said nothing more as he disappeared into his room, closing the door. "He was never a nice guy but he's really down in the dumps about this."

Ikkaku shrugged. "He was crazy about her. I think he wants to go through with your plan, but he's too upset to admit it."

Akio sighed, getting to his feet. "He'll come around then. Try to convince him to go, if you care about him like I care about Mari. I'll be waiting."

Mari leaned against the windowsill of the shop she was in, sighing as she examined the pale blue sky above; blue was such a sad color. It was like the sky was always sad all day long but at night was when it was at its lowest and Mari felt she could relate to it now that she and Yumichika weren't together anymore. But maybe the sky was sad because it never had anybody to begin with.

"Miss Mari," the voice of the woman behind her reached Mari through her thoughts and she turned to face her, "the store clerk brought out a selection of bride outfits. Why don't you come take a look?"

Mari nodded, turning away from the window and approaching the rack with all the white kimono hung up on it, a variety of shoes on the floor and hair accessories on the top. She gently pulled at each one to get a better look and eventually she decided on a white one with a red rose design on it and she added a large hood to it to keep herself shaded when she was in the sunlight but it was wide enough so that whatever hairstyle she would get, would be visible. "I want this," she decided and she gave the money to the clerk, trying it on with her servants' help in making it fit just right.

"It looks beautiful on you, Miss Mari," one of them cooed.

Mari smiled, gazing down at herself. "It is very pretty, isn't it?" They both nodded, big smiles on their faces until Mari began changing back into the yukata she had on before. Afterwards, she stepped outside where Akio was waiting, the servants carrying the dress and they began walking back to her home. "Even though I'm not looking forward to being married, weddings are so pretty."

Akio chuckled. "So you want to go through with it just because it's pretty?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "Please, if I had a choice, I would be with _him_ right now." She sighed, her gaze falling to her feet. "I just wish he could see me in the dress. I don't want anyone else to see me in it besides for him."

"Maybe he will. You never know."

Mari narrowed her eyes, lifting her gaze to him. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to get my hopes up for no reason?"

Akio chuckled. "No, Mari, I was just saying that you never know what might happen."


	10. Chapter 10

It was finally the day of the wedding. The rehearsal the day before had gone smoothly and everyone was confident. Akio had been busy with preparations all day, leaving Mari to panic by herself as her hair and makeup were being done and by the time she was ready, she could feel her heart racing in her chest. Everything about this felt so, so wrong. She shouldn't be marrying Haruki; he wasn't the one she loved but what choice did she have? She approached the room where the ceremony would be held, taking a deep breath, with a few of her female clan members standing behind her, feverish expressions on their faces as the doors opened for her and she felt a nervousness come over her as she stepped inside, gazing around at all the people. Akio was leaning against a window in the corner and he smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up and she took another deep breath, lifting her chin and clenching the fan in her hand tightly. This was it.

Haruki was standing at a table, where the san-san-kudo cups were prepared and she approached, her heart beating so loudly she was sure the people around her could hear it. Before she could reach the table, she heard a gasp from the guests and the sound of swords clashing behind her and she slowly turned her head. Although he wore a ski mask, Mari knew that was Ikkaku and he was taking on both guards at once. She heard another clash and she faced forward again to see that Akio was also taking care of the guards in the back. The people were panicking and Mari saw a flash from the window when suddenly, a third person appeared before her and she recognized those lavender eyes instantly, even with that amazed expression on his face as he gazed at her, seeming to forget why he had come there to begin with. As he remembered, he looked away from her, scooping her into his arms and doing flash step back outside. As they leaped out the window, Mari peered over his shoulder to see Byakuya standing at the window, a serene expression on his face as his gaze followed them, almost as if he didn't care that the wedding had turned out to be chaotic.

He set her down on her feet once they'd arrived at his home and he knelt down in front of her pulling off his mask. "We did it... we really did it." He lifted his gaze to her. "Mari, you look absolutely beautiful. I knew you'd be a gorgeous bride but I didn't think you'd look so pretty that I would freeze up the moment I saw you." Mari pouted and she lifted her hand holding the fan, smacking him in the head and he rubbed the red mark. "What was that for?"

"Are you three _insane_? They'll kill you this time for sure! Ikkaku and Akio are surely going to get caught and be thrown in jail and once they find you, they'll kill you! You couldn't have waited until _after_ the wedding to pull a stupid suicide mission like this? Do you know how much I've been stressing about the wedding the past couple of days? I was upset about it, yes, but I was just so glad that I talked you out of letting them kill you and then you go and pull a stunt like this. God damn it, Yumichika, you just love driving me crazy, don't you?"

Yumichika sighed, leaning against the table. "Mari, I did it for you. We never actually got to say goodbye and I couldn't stand the way we ended. Mari... I'm so, so sorry for hurting you the way I did, I don't know what came over me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I really don't want to lose you but since I have to, I at least want to properly say goodbye." He chuckled, burying his face into his hands. "I probably look so pathetic to you right now. Look at me, expecting you to still love me after what I did to you. I never deserved you to begin with. It was a miracle that you stayed with me before. Maybe I'm asking for too much."

Mari knelt down beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tightly. "No, Yumichika, that's not why I'm upset. I just don't want you to get hurt. It caught me by surprise. Of course I still love you with everything I have and I know that what happened wasn't your fault at all. It was that guy's spell or whatever he did to you to make you do that. I know you would never hurt me." She tilted her head up and touched his chin so he turned to look at her and she gently kissed him, taking in the feel of his soft lips. "I missed the way your kisses taste." She moved closer to him and kissed him harder, letting him hold her tightly in his arms. Once they parted lips, she sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"You really do make a beautiful bride, Mari. If only you could be my bride."

Mari giggled, shaking her head. "If it makes you feel better, Haruki is nice but he's a real stick in the mud. All he ever talks about is having a family and 'love at first sight', whatever that means. I feel bad for myself because I'm going to have to spend so much time with him."

"Don't have a family with him," Yumichika interrupted, "Please, just don't have a family with him."

Mari lifted her gaze to him. "You know that's the only reason they want me to marry him, right? To have children."

Yumichika shook his head. "Mari, picturing you in bed with him is driving me crazy. Please don't sleep with him."

"Okay," Mari answered, "I promise I won't." She put a hand on his chest, resting her head on his his shoulder again. "I wish I could have your children instead. Maybe one day, I'll come visit you and you can knock me up and I'll convince everyone that it's Haruki's baby."

He chuckled, poking her cheek. "Yeah, maybe one day."

Mari closed her eyes, inhaling his scent as she lifted her hand and traced his lips gently before sliding her hand down to his neck, where she stroked his soft skin. "It's not fair," she whispered, "It's like some kind of sick joke that I met you just a few months before I would be forced to marry someone else."

"Do you regret meeting me?" he murmured, holding her tightly.

"Of course not but I do regret missing the meeting that I had where I could decide whether or not I could marry him." She opened her eyes, lifting her gaze to him. "Yumichika, I'm gonna go back tomorrow morning, so... right now, I want you to do something for me."

"What's that?" he murmured.

"I want you to have me, and... I don't want you to stop until the sun comes up."

He smiled, kissing her tenderly. "Your tasks for me are too easy."

Mari awoke the next morning at the feel of Yumichika moving around beside her and she still felt so tired, only having slept a couple of hours. She opened her eyes to see that he was sitting up, a hand to his forehead and his eyes were wide and suddenly, she could feel it too; the feel of someone's immense spiritual pressure nearby. She propped herself up on her elbows. "Yumichika... who is that?"

Yumichika held out his arm in front of her before getting to his feet and fixing his Shihakushō before grasping his zanpakuto and running outside. Mari quickly got to her feet as well, taking out one of the yukata that she had left at his house before hurriedly putting it on and she rushed outside, glancing left and right; Yumichika was nowhere in sight. Just as she was about to call his name, someone lifted her up and did flash step too quickly to be seen by anybody and they only stopped outside the Suzuki house, where Mari quickly noticed a crowd had gathered and tossed nearby was a zanpakuto which Mari quickly recognized as Yumichika's. The person set her down and she rushed over to see that two of the guards were holding tightly on to Yumichika by his arms and he was visibly weak and trembling as if they had been hurting him.

"Miss Mari," one of her servants greeted happily, "We caught your kidnapper! We caught him! They're going to kill him."

Mari shook her head quickly. "Don't any of you _dare_ lay a finger on him!" She stepped towards him and two other soul reapers held Mari back. "Are any of you listening to me? Unhand me! I order you all to stop!"

"We can't let you do that, Miss Mari," one of the men holding her back told her.

Mari clenched her jaw, forcibly pushing the two of them away from her long enough to grasp her zanpakuto. "Storm, Sukai Mizu!"

One of the men put his sword to Yumichika's throat. "Put your sword away, milady."

The water only thickened around Mari's own neck and she let the water transform into a blade attached to her hilt and she held it to her stomach. "If you kill him, I won't be afraid to do it. Release him unharmed and we will have the wedding again and this time it will go uninterrupted. I will make sure of that." The man let his guard down just for a second and Mari knocked his sword out of his hand before aiming the tip of her blade at Yumichika. "If he does something like this again, I'll be the one to kill him." Yumichika lifted his gaze to her and she locked gazes with him, her strong, irritated expression unfazed. "All of you seem to be forgetting that you take orders from me. It's not the other way around. I may be young but I am not weak. Where have Akio and the other one who barged into the wedding gone?"

"They've been arrested," one of her servants answered her.

"Alright, then arrest this one as well," Mari ordered, "Don't release any of them until I give you permission."

One of the guards stepped forward. "But Miss Mari, the proper punishment for kidnapping a noble, especially during such an important ceremony, is execution."

"Have I ordered you to execute him?" Mari lifted her sword to her side. "Everybody back up. Two of the guards can take him down to the cells underground. Make sure you seal his spirit energy." Everybody backed up except for two of the guards and they began to carry him away and Mari put her sword away, fighting off the extreme lack of energy she felt at using her shikai. "I'll go check on them tonight and if I see so much of a scratch on him, you'll be the one who is executed." She took a deep breath before turning to another one of the guards. "My wedding dress is still at his house. Go get it. Don't touch anything else. Don't look through his things. Don't disobey my orders. Go."

"Yes, ma'am," he said obediently before disappearing and she walked slowly to her home, going inside and straight to her bedroom, pulling the blanket over her head.

"I hate this room," she whispered to herself, "I hate this place. I hate everybody here." She turned to her side, squeezing her eyes closed as she held a hand to her chest. "But at least I know he'll be near me for a while."

Mari ended up sleeping until the next morning, and she bathed before letting her servants fix her hair and makeup the way she always used to before she met Yumichika and they made her look like the rich noble that she was before she put on a kimono. She slipped her feet into some shoes before she stepped outside and she approached the place the elders stayed, taking off her shoes as she entered and she sat down before them.

"I'm glad you're not hurt, Mari," one of them greeted her, "Did he make you do something you didn't want to?"

Mari shook her head, which wasn't a lie. When they slept together, she had asked him to so it wasn't something she didn't want to. "I wasn't hurt at all. That wasn't what I came here to talk about."

"Oh, the wedding," another of them recalled, "Don't worry, we can try again tomorrow."

"Okay," she answered, "I will be ready."

"That's good," the same one answered, "Now go prepare yourself."

Mari nodded, getting to her feet and bowing to them before hurrying outside, slipping on her shoes. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, thinking to herself, _'I hate them the most_.' She made her way to the staircase that led to the prison below and she descended the stairs slowly, turning on the light. "It's so dark in here."

"Mari!" she heard Akio exclaim.

Mari chuckled, taking down the keys from the wall beside her and she began approaching his cell, passing Ikkaku's and Yumichika's, which were across from each other. "Don't worry, Akio, I haven't forgotten about you." She unlocked his cell and let him out and he stepped out, holding out his bound hands and she unlocked those as well.

"Are you going to let out Ikkaku and Yumichika as well?" he asked her, rubbing his red wrists and Mari shook her head, returning the keys to the hook they were on before kneeling down in front of Yumichika's cell. He was in the back corner, gazing down at his lap and his hair covered his face. Mari couldn't help but giggling.

"Yumichika, come here," she called and he lifted his gaze to her before shaking his head and she felt as if he had punched her in the stomach instead; it was the first time he'd refused her. "Why not?"

"Because you had a choice. You could have let me and Ikkaku go free but you didn't. I should be the one asking you why."

Mari pouted, taking two bars of his cell and pressing her face in between them. "But Yumichika, I'm not going to keep you guys here permanently. I only wanted to keep you here so that I would have an excuse to see you every day, even when I do get married." She touched a finger to her chin. "Hey, you took me against my will once just because you wanted to spend more time with me. I guess now we're even."

"Even?" he had an irritated expression on his face, "I had you in my house, not locked in a prison cell. You even slept in my own bed, but all I get to sleep on here is that stupid excuse for a bed over there. It feels like sleeping on the ground."

Mari giggled, shaking her head. "I could have had them execute you instead." She smiled, leaning her head against the bars. "Trust me, I would let you sleep in my bed if I could. Would it make you feel better if I slept down here with you? I could sneak down here late at night and spend the night with you."

"If you're going to do that, why don't you let Ikkaku go?"

"If I let him go but not you that would be suspicious. Letting Akio go is reasonable though because I need him to help me with just about everything and everybody here knows that." She reached into the bars and waved him over but he simply turned away from her. She lifted her gaze to Akio beside her and he handed her the keys so that she could unlock Yumichika's cell and she shut it behind her, approaching him and kneeling down beside him.

"You threatened to kill me yesterday."

"You really think I could kill you?" she giggled, touching his shoulder, "I only said that so that I didn't look weak. If they found out what we've really been doing, they might start disobeying me again and they could kill you for real this time." She wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm an underage princess who is engaged. I'm supposed to be a virgin, you know."

"Then through your fiancé's eyes, you'll be a virgin forever."

She laughed, kissing the crane of his neck. "Thank you, Yumichika."

He lifted his gaze to her. "For what?"

"Because you made me realize a lot of things. You made me realize how unimportant I am to my family and you made me realize how much fun life can really be if you spend it with the right people and you made me realize how much Akio cares about me, even though he was the one with the big realization when it came to that, and you made me realize that love really does exist. You also made me feel really, really pretty, but I don't think that has anything to do with what I'm telling you." She sighed, dropping her gaze. "Meanwhile, all I've done for you is ruin things. If I hadn't come along, you and Ikkaku would still be back with your squad, happily doing your job like you're supposed to be. I wouldn't blame you if you regret falling for me. I'm not worth all of this, right? On top of all that, I locked you both in a cell just to keep you close to me because I'm selfish."

He turned to her, putting his hands on either side of her face gently as if she were a precious artifact and he leaned forward, kissing her hard although she was blushing from being in open view of Ikkaku and Akio and she continued blushing, even when they parted lips. "Mari, you've done the opposite of ruin my life. You've made it so much better. You've given it meaning. You did the impossible, Mari; you made me fall in love and that's something I didn't think anybody could do. That's why I keep telling you that you're the love of my life." He pulled her into his lap and kissed her again, tracing her jawline and this time when they parted lips, he gave her a smile. "I won't be mad at you if you let Ikkaku go. Tell them that... I did something worse than what he did so I need more punishment and you let him go because you let Akio go and you wanted to be fair."

Mari nodded. "Okay. I'll bring you some food down in a bit, okay?" She got to her feet and left his cell, shutting it behind her before turning to Ikkaku's cell and unlocking it. "Thank you so much, Ikkaku. I don't know who came up with the stupid stunt you guys pulled," she paused to giggle before continuing, "but I'm grateful that you went as far as getting yourself locked up and risking getting killed just for me and Yumichika's relationship so thank you very much."

He nodded, getting to his feet and as she unlocked the spirit energy seal on his wrists, he responded, "Don't mention it." He waved at Yumichika before climbing the stairs and Mari turned to Akio.

"Akio, go walk him out. I don't want any of the stupid guardsmen trying to start something with him." Akio nodded and obeyed, running to catch up with Ikkaku, only stopping at a cabinet on the wall to retrieve his and Ikkaku's zanpakuto, and Mari turned to Yumichika. "I'll be back later, Yumichika."

He nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

She turned away, smiling to herself as she hung up the keys and she climbed the stairs, gazing around before returning to her home and she began to prepare a breakfast for two; of course she wouldn't let anybody else here feed him whatever awful food they'd been feeding Ikkaku and Akio. She felt for them that they'd had to go through it but she wouldn't let Yumichika go through it too. After she finished cooking, she put everything on a tray and she approached the prison door but upon reaching it, she noticed it was open. She hid behind the wall beside it and leaned towards it, listening.

She could hear one of the guards shout, "Where are the other two prisoners? Who let them out?" When there was silence and then she heard a bang as if he had kicked something. "Don't ignore me, damn it, I know you can hear me!"

She could hear Yumichika sigh with annoyance before he muttered, "The princess let them out. Didn't she say that nobody could let any of us out without her permission anyway?"

"Why didn't she let you out? I don't like your attitude."

"Well, I don't like your face but I can't do anything about that either." Mari giggled to herself at that note.

"Insult me one more time, I dare you. I could kill you right here, right now, and nobody will care because you're the felon who kidnapped the princess."

Yumichika laughed at his response. "What was that? Nobody will care? 'If I see so much as a scratch on him, you'll be executed'. Does that sound familiar? It probably doesn't sound familiar to _you_ since you don't look very smart, but that was what the princess said as you brutes were dragging me away."

"Well if you wanna know the truth, pretty boy, Miss Mari isn't strong at all. She's hardly even considered head to any of us, since all of her responsibilities are placed on Akio. She's just an irresponsible, arrogant, selfish, spoiled little brat with a lot of money for my pay check. I have no respect for her at all."

Mari clenched her jaw, gently setting down the tray she'd prepared and she began descending the stairs, taking a deep breath with her mouth open, preparing for a scolding but she gasped upon seeing Yumichika with his bound hands through the bars, clenching the guard's neck firmly. At the sound of her gasp, Yumichika let go of his neck, letting him fall to the floor unconscious before turning to Mari as if he'd done nothing wrong.

"Is he dead?" she exclaimed, rushing over to the guard to check if he was breathing.

"Who cares?" Yumichika answered, returning to the corner of his cell where he was in the morning.

"I'm glad he's _not_ dead! If the other guards had found out you killed him, they would be mad at you!"

He rolled his eyes, turning away. "They can't touch me. Besides, he was badmouthing you. He's better off dead."

Mari attempted to drag the guard up the stairs and groaned at his weight. "Akio."

Akio appeared beside her, gasping at the sight of the guard. "What happened?"

Mari chuckled sheepishly. "Well, he was saying stuff about me that Yumichika didn't like so he kind of... choked him out. Anyway, I can't lift him up by myself, so can you help me?" Akio nodded and they carried the guard outside together. Mari took the tray downstairs, setting it down on the floor before taking the keys and unlocking his cell and she took the tray inside.

Yumichika held out his bound hands. "I can't eat without my hands."

Mari grinned at him. "That's okay." She set down the keys, lifting her chopsticks in one hand and picking up some rice with it before holding it to his lips. "Open wide." He blushed at her request before doing as she said and she continued to feed him until he was full before she ate what was left herself, setting down her tray. "Wow, I'm so full now."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "It was delicious, princess."

Mari blushed, looking away. "It's weird that you're calling me that."

He chuckled. "Why? That's what you are, isn't it?"

"Yeah but it's weird hearing you say it. You've never called me princess like that before and I know it's not like how everyone else calls me princess, it's affectionate. It's weird."

"Do you want me to stop calling you that?"

Mari shook her head. "No, you can call me that if you want to."

He chuckled at her expression. "You're so weird."

Mari blushed even more and he took her by her shoulder, kissing her tenderly. "What was that for?"

"Just because you're cute."

Mari looked away, her cheeks bright pink just as she heard someone descending the stairs. "Mari," Akio's voice sounded, "you need to hurry back out here. Haruki's here."


	11. Chapter 11

Mari quickly planted a kiss on Yumichika's lips, avoiding meeting his gaze because she knew he would be dismayed and she took the tray and the dishes, jumping to her feet and closing Yumichika's cell before hopping up the stairs out behind Akio. Her gaze found Haruki standing in the front of her home and she shoved all the dishes in Akio's hands. "Get rid of these," she ordered before approaching Haruki casually, greeting him with a smile.

"Oh, hello, Mari," he smiled, "I thought you weren't home."

She chuckled sheepishly, scratching her head. "I was just out for a walk and Akio was feeding the prisoner. I'm sorry, if I'd known you were coming I would have stayed at home."

Haruki frowned. "Prisoner? The man who kidnapped you?"

Mari nodded. "Yes but it's no big deal, he was caught just the next morning and he didn't do anything bad to me or hurt me or anything. Don't worry about it."

"You should have had him executed. He doesn't deserve to live."

"He didn't hurt me though."

"You're too soft, Mari."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Maybe I am but I just don't see it fit to kill him."

Haruki touched his sword at his hip. "Shall I take care of it?"

Mari held up her hands. "I don't want him dead."

Haruki eyed her curiously. "Why's that? You don't have feelings for him, do you?"

Mari blushed, shaking her head. "Of course I don't. I just really don't see it fit to kill him. Besides, he's friends with Akio and I know Akio will be very disappointed."

Haruki looked away. "Then you have feelings for Akio."

Mari had to strain herself not to roll her eyes; although they were getting married, it was unnecessary for him to be so jealous and over protective. Yumichika was like that, but he had a reason to, considering she would be marrying someone else and when he was home they couldn't just go see each other whenever they wanted to. Besides, she loved Yumichika and she knew he meant well. "No, Akio is the last person I'd have feelings for. He's like a brother to me."

"Some girls do develop feelings for their brothers, you know."

Mari was really straining herself at this point, balling her hands into fists. "Do you think I'm like that? If I wanted to marry Akio, my family would let me because they trust him a lot. In fact, before you came along, they were pressuring me to marry Akio but I told them no. I do love him, but like family; definitely _not_ in a romantic way."

Haruki frowned. "I believe you, but when we're married, I'm not sure I want you around Akio." Mari couldn't help herself. She lifted her hand to give him a slap but he caught her wrist just as she was beginning to swing it down and he gave her a smile. "It was a joke, Mari; you don't have to get so worked up. I don't see Akio as a threat."

Mari forced herself to relax, dropping her hand. "I'm very sorry, I just lost my temper for a moment. I know we're getting married but we've only just met so it still bothers me a bit if you try to control who I spend my time with." She chuckled, lifting her hand to her forehead. "Please forgive me. I feel so embarrassed, I shouldn't have done that."

His friendly smile stayed on his face and he shook his head. "Don't worry about it, milady. You haven't done anything wrong."

Mari stood up straight, smiling. "I need to redeem myself. How about I make you lunch? I've been told I'm a good cook." Of course the only person she'd ever cooked for was Yumichika but she left that part out.

"Of course," he answered and she led him inside.

"You can take a look around if you'd like," she told him, "I'll let you know when it's ready."

He nodded and she went into the kitchen before freezing. This felt wrong. She couldn't cook for him; it felt strange. She'd never even cooked for Akio before, let alone cook for this man that she hardly knew and was being forced to marry. But that's the thing, she'd never cooked for him before; if she made the food horribly, maybe he wouldn't like it and he wouldn't want her to cook for him anymore. And that's what she did; she cooked sloppily and made enough to only serve one person since she was still full from breakfast before serving him and he sat down.

"It looks delicious," he complimented, "Aren't you going to eat too?"

Mari shook her head. "No, I just ate before you came so I'm not hungry."

He nodded before beginning to eat and she rejoiced at his disgusted expression although he feigned a smile and forced himself to eat the rest to be polite.

"You don't look like you liked it," she pouted, "Well, I'm sorry... I've only ever cooked for Akio and he's the only one who told me my cooking is good. I don't have to cook for you when you get married."

"You're okay," he chuckled, "We can hire someone to cook for us instead, if you'd like."

"Can we?" she smiled, "Can we hire someone to clean up too?" She bit back 'and have your children for me'.

He chuckled again, nodding. "Of course we can. I was going to do that anyway so you don't have to strain yourself when you get pregnant." Mari stiffened at his words, feeling the color drain from her face and he met her gaze before smiling. "What? Did you want to hire someone to do that as well?"

Mari forced a chuckle, shaking her head. "It's not that, it's just that... thinking about it makes me a bit nervous. I'm a virgin, you know, so... I don't think I'm ready just yet. But there's no rush, right? And, um... until we're completely comfortable with each other, would it be okay if we slept in separate rooms?"

He had a surprised expression on his face and disappointment shined in his eyes but he said, "Um... of course, if that's what you want."

"Sorry," she giggled, "I guess I really am just a kid. We have plenty of guest rooms here, though, and at least you'll have your privacy."

He looked away, scratching his chin. "If this is about what you said outside, Mari, I'm sorry about that. I hope it's not because you're still mad."

"No, it's not that, really. I promise. I'm just not comfortable with it just yet."

"Okay," he said, giving her a smile, "That's alright, Mari. Anyway, this is just out of curiosity, but you seem to wear expensive clothing, and I was just wondering... why is it that you only have a few things in your closet? Being the head of a noble family, surely you have enough money to afford more clothes. Would you like me to buy you some more?"

Mari shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I just had to toss a bunch out recently that didn't fit me. I was planning on going shopping once we got through all this wedding business." Of course it was a lie; her clothes were missing because they were at Yumichika's house.

"Oh, alright. If you need anything, though, don't be afraid to let me know."

A few days passed and the wedding went smoothly, although Mari was a bit late because she had stopped at Yumichika's cell to show him how she looked and he had to mess up her lipstick a bit before letting her go. Every night, she snuck down to his cell and spent the night with him, leaving at the crack of dawn but she also made him breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day so they were spending plenty of time together. Sneaking out at night was normally easy, since she and Haruki weren't sharing a room and Yumichika was happy about that, of course.

However, bringing him meals was becoming exceedingly difficult due to Haruki coming closer and closer to breathing down her neck.

That night, Mari changed quickly out of her pajamas into a very short kimono to impress Yumichika, peering around outside of her bedroom before sneaking through the living room when suddenly, the light turned on behind her and she spun around, blushing at the sight of Haruki. She attempted to pull down her kimono a bit but Haruki didn't seem to be sprung at the sight of her, the way he gazed at her curiously, taking a seat at the table. "Where in the world are you going dressed like that, Mari?"

Mari blushed even more, looking away. "I wasn't going anywhere. I was just going to check and see if Akio is outside because I haven't seen him since the wedding. He used to sleep here, you know, so I have no idea where he's been staying."

"You were going dressed like that? I thought you didn't think of Akio that way. You look like you're going out to sell your body. No wonder you're so rich."

Mari was twiddling her thumbs, keeping her gaze on the floor. "I like to sleep with my clothes off so when I stepped out, I grabbed the first thing I saw and it just happened to be this. And even if Akio saw me like this, he wouldn't think of it in a dirty way because he knows I sleep with my clothes off."

Haruki touched his chin, chuckling. "Why do you even have that, Mari? You and I aren't sleeping together so who are you trying to impress?"

Mari furrowed her brow. "I don't need to impress anybody. I bought it because it's comfortable."

He eyed her, shaking his head. "Why do I feel that you're lying?"

She crossed her arms. "Because you're paranoid."

He smiled, cupping his face in his hand as he gazed at her. "Oh, but Mari, you're not staying with Akio anymore, you know. You're staying with me. And boy that outfit sure is sexy. It fits your body just right and emphasizes all of your features to be praised." Mari's face flushed beet red and she put her hands over her face, just peeking out from her eyes and he chuckled. "What are you so embarrassed about, Mari? We're married now, aren't we? I can say things like that." He waved her over but she shook her head, taking a step back. "Come now, Mari. How are you going to get over your fear of sex without trying it?"

Mari frowned. "I'm not afraid of having sex. I just don't want to. You don't understand; a girl just has to be ready for it. I could be madly in love with you but it would still be too soon."

He chuckled. "Okay, we don't have to have sex. I just want to talk. Come sit by me." When Mari didn't budge, he sighed. "You know, normal couples have sex on their wedding night but I didn't even pressure you to sleep in the same room with me because you said you didn't want to. I was the one who pulled the strings so that our marriage could happen in the first place. I spoil you; even though I want a real relationship, you won't even sit close to me. It's like we're not even a couple. Have I done something to offend you? Have I hurt you in any way? What have I done to make you hate me, Mari? Tell me because I want to fix it. Ever since the moment I laid eyes on you, all I've wanted is for you to love me."

Mari felt instant guilt for treating him the way she had been but she wasn't sure; something about his eyes rubbed her the wrong way because she was sure she'd seen them before but she couldn't recall when. And besides, if he hadn't requested her hand in marriage, maybe she could have convinced her family to let her marry Yumichika instead. But other than that, she had no real reason that he would know about to make her hate him. She slowly approached him and sat beside him on the same side of the table when he suddenly gathered her on to his lap and held her tightly as she squirmed so that she couldn't escape and he put a hand on her forehead, and somehow her whole body froze as if she'd been paralyzed and she was forced to meet his gaze.

"You love another man," he told her as if reading her thoughts, "You ran away to be with him. You hate me because I'm the reason you two can't be together. That man's name is Yumichika Ayasegawa and he is the fifth seat of squad eleven." He smirked. "Fifth seat, huh? You could have aimed higher, Mari. How about his friend, Ikkaku Madarame? Third seat is much more skilled." At first she was convinced he was reading her thoughts but even she hadn't known that Ikkaku was the third seat. Yumichika had never told her that. He hadn't even told her his last name. "You kept him prisoner so that you could be with him even when you're married and that's why you were going out dressed like that. You also are not a virgin and are not at all afraid of or not ready for sex; you simply don't want to sleep with me because I'm not your beloved, and also because he told you that you couldn't." He cocked his head to one side, continuing to smirk. "Oh? So that's why I can't have you, because you're in love with another man. Well that's quite easy to fix, isn't it?"

Mari was hit with realization as if it were a cinderblock after having gazed into his demonic black eyes for such a long time; she had seen them before. Those were the eyes of the man who had raped her when she was staying at Yumichika's house. "Y-you're... you're the man who raped me, aren't you? I remember... those eyes... that voice... your rough-skinned hands..."

He chuckled. "If I completely erase your memory of ever having been in love, I can keep Ayasegawa here to torture him and you will be mine."

Mari tilted her head back and attempted to scream but nothing would come out being under his spell and she couldn't even squirm. She turned her head towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest with fear as she said, "Akio!" When she received no response, her heart began to ache. "Akio, please! I need you now..."

Akio didn't appear before her and Haruki chuckled. "You're quite pathetic, if I may say. Akio won't be hearing you call his name anymore. I convinced the elders to fire him because I don't like him very much. He's too easy-going; you can never trust a man who laughs too much." He laughed before telling her, "All it took for the elders to fire him was for me to convince them that you don't need a guardian anymore; you have me. I wasn't even too confident about trying to make them fire him since he's so respected around here for doing all of your work while you laze around, pretending you're still a child who can't handle some paperwork." He touched the collar of her kimono. "If you can wear this and have sex with a man in a jail cell, then you aren't a child anymore." He smiled at her. "How do you think Ayasegawa will react if you don't spend the night with him or make him meals for a few days and then you and I go visit him together? You will have forgotten about him completely and you will be on my arm. Maybe I'll even throw in a kiss just to tick him off."

Mari's eyes widened as she thought about how Yumichika would feel and she gazed at Haruki, her spirit energy beginning to overflow with anger; enough for her to be able to lift her arms against the spell and wrap her hands around his neck and she squeezed as hard as she could but as soon as she did, everything went black.

Akio stood atop the rooftop to Mari's house, his spiritual pressure concealed and he gazed around, the anger welling up inside him. Although he had been fired as Mari's guardian, and although they'd told her it was Mari's request, he knew better; especially after hearing her call his name so desperately. Haruki was up to something and since the conversations he'd overheard between Mari and Haruki from the day before the wedding, Akio knew that Haruki was up to something. He crept down near a window and peeked in to see Mari with her hands tightly around Haruki's neck, her blue spirit energy visible around her, showing how angry she truly was yet after a moment's passing, her hands fell to her stomach and her eyes closed, her head leaning back against Haruki's arm. He clenched his jaw as Haruki smiled at her before lifting her up and taking her away; what had he done to her? There was only one person he knew who he could mention this to, although he wasn't sure how said person would take the news. He hurried to the prison and opened the door, turning on the light.

"Mari, is that you?" Yumichika's voice called, "Did something happen? How come you're so late? I've been up all night. Was it Haruki again?" Akio closed the door behind him, descending the stairs slowly and giving Yumichika a sheepish smile. Yumichika was on his knees, pressed against the bars and the eager expression on his face to see Mari quickly faded into a frown. "Oh, it's you." He got to his feet and returned to the corner that he rarely seemed to leave.

"Yeah, it's me," Akio sighed, "but I'm not alone. I've come with bad news."

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "Unless it's about Mari or Ikkaku, I don't care."

Akio chuckled, scratching his chin. "Then I think you're going to care a lot."

Yumichika quickly turned to Akio. "Is it Mari? What happened to her?"

"Well, I didn't catch the whole thing since I was fired right after the wedding, probably thanks to Haruki, but Mari called my name so I caught part of it. I think whatever happened is really bad, because Mari has never sounded so desperate calling my name. She even tacked on 'I need you' at the end, and she never tells me she needs me, unless it's to do her work. Anyway, all I saw was that he was holding her in his lap, probably forcibly, and she was choking him but then suddenly she fell asleep. I don't know what he did to her but he didn't take out any weapons or anything, she just fell asleep. He had a smirk on his face afterwards so he's planning something bad."

Yumichika jumped to his feet. "You're lying."

"Of course not. Why would I come to you in the middle of the night with a made up story about the one person I know you love the most? I'm not that horrible; give me some credit."

Yumichika ran to the bars, taking them in his bound hands and shaking them. "Let me out of here! I'm going to kill him, I swear! I won't let him lay a finger on Mari!"

Akio sighed. "Calm down, Yumichika."

"How the hell can I calm down? He's probably doing inappropriate things to her right now, as we speak! We have no time to waste! I need to go kill him now!"

"I know that it's unsettling to think about, believe me, I know. I feel the same way but we can't just barge in there and kill him. He's a noble. No excuse you could come up with could get you out of severe punishment."

"So then what do you propose we do? Just sit around here and wait until we find out what he's doing?"

"Exactly. That's all we can do, Yumichika. I just want you to prepare for something bad to happen because I heard your name come up in the conversation right before Mari started choking him. Mari is a sweet girl so he must have said he was going to do something to you to make her want to kill him to prevent it."

Yumichika leaned against the wall, sliding down it. "If only I had told Mari how I felt sooner. Then maybe she would have fallen in love with me before she was forced to marry that bastard and she wouldn't have had to marry him in the first place."

"Don't blame yourself, Yumichika. Mari's very level-headed so I'm sure that no matter what he does to her, it won't bring her down. It's you that I'm worried about because I know that it's going to be racking your brain, and that Haruki is going to involve you in things soon enough. Anyway, whatever he does to her, he can't kill her because he will get in big trouble."

"If he killed her, I'd skin him," Yumichika snapped through gritted teeth, "I don't even want to think about it. If you figure out anything else about what's happening, let me know."

"And, uh..." Akio chuckled sheepishly, "If Haruki doesn't let her come and feed you anymore, I would highly suggest avoiding the food they'll serve you. The guards throw together whatever garbage they find."

Yumichika shook his head. "They serve it to me but they think I haven't eaten since I got here. I swear today I saw spit in my dinner, those disgusting pigs. The first thing I'm doing when I get out is killing them."

"If I still worked here, I would make sure you were fed something made by the servants but Haruki got me fired." Akio scratched his head. "Thinking about it though, the Suzuki clan couldn't be any dumber. It's like he has them under his spell or something." He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Yumichika turned to gaze at Akio with wide eyes. "A spell... you said they mentioned my name and if he was threatening me, then he most likely knows about Mari and I. I know Mari didn't tell him because she's not stupid but... maybe he did put a spell on Mari. Maybe that's why she fell asleep so suddenly like you said."

"That does make sense, but... if that's the case, I hope whatever he's planning doesn't end up getting her hurt."


	12. Chapter 12

Mari's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at the sunlight streaming in through the window and she smiled to herself, feeling the warm arms wrapped around her bare waist, belonging to her beloved husband and she turned to him, kissing his nose, which woke him up and he gave her a smile. "I'm sorry," she giggled, "Did I wake you, Haruki?"

He shook his head. "It's fine, Mari, but... could you make us some breakfast?"

Mari nodded, sitting up. "Of course, Haru!" She climbed out bed happily before putting on a yukata from her closet, touching her chin. "Hm, I really do need to do some shopping. Hey, Haru, do you want to go shopping with me later?"

Haruki nodded. "Sure."

A week passed and Mari was feeling happy with Haruki, but one day, while making breakfast, she began to feel as if she had been forgetting something very important... yet she couldn't quite recall what it was.

They ate until full and she sat at the table, gazing at the empty dishes in front of her, feeling as if whatever it was she was forgetting was crucial yet, somehow, she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Haruki nudged her gently. "Mari, is something wrong?"

Mari smiled at him, shaking her head. "No, it's nothing."

He cocked his head to one side. "You aren't having... flashbacks, are you?"

Mari shook her head again. "Why would I be having flashbacks?"

He chuckled, waving his hand to dismiss it. "Hey, I know what will make you feel better." He took her hand, pulling her to her feet before leading her outside and through the hot, bright sunlight to a door that she had never used.

"The clan's prison? How would that make me feel better?"

"Well," he cracked open the door, "... Mari. I figured that maybe you're getting tired of having sex in the same bed every day... why don't we take it down to the prison for once? It's quite chilly down there."

Mari laughed, shaking her head. "That's so weird. Why would I want to have sex in a prison? That's just creepy. Who knows how many people have died down there?" After she'd finished speaking, she heard her voice echo in the prison hall before she heard a clanging sound and she gasped. "Haru, did you hear that? Do we have a prisoner? What if it's haunted? You're trying to get me possessed, aren't you?"

Haruki chuckled at her reaction. "There's a prisoner. It must have slipped my mind." He squeezed her hand, opening the door wider. "Would you like to meet him?"

Mari stiffened. "That depends... why is he locked up?"

"I'm not sure. He was in cahoots with Akio, whatever Akio did to get himself fired." Haruki rolled his eyes. "Anyway, his spirit energy is sealed, of course, and he's locked up tight; been down there a couple of weeks now. He won't be able to hurt you."

Mari clenched his hand as tightly as she could, shutting the prison door behind her as she followed him down into it and it was very dark until Haruki turned on the light, revealing a soul reaper sitting in the far corner of his cell and he appeared malnourished, as if he hadn't eaten. His lavender eyes were wide, gazing at his lap and he lifted them towards Mari and Haruki and she could see his heart breaking in his eyes; what could possibly be wrong?

Mari took a step towards his cell, holding the bars. "Is there something wrong?" When he only gazed at her with the same expression without saying a word, she asked, "Are you okay? Can I ask what you did to get locked up?" He had a look of utter confusion on his face at this point. "Can you tell me your name?"

His eyes widened as he gazed at her before stammering, "M-my name?"

Mari nodded, before giggling, touching her chin. "Surely you know your own name, right?"

He jumped to his feet, his gaze full of hatred now and he stumbled to the bars, before reaching out with his bound hands past her and grasping Haruki, who remained perfectly composed, by his collar roughly with his boney hands. "There's no scum in this world lower than you," he snapped, "How dare you do something like this? I will kill you!"

Mari lifted her hands calmly, gently taking the hands of the prisoner and pushing them back into the cell. "I'm sorry that you were locked in here but if you would tell me why you're in here, maybe I could let you out, if it's not too bad. Clearly, staying in here has taken its toll on you. You look like you haven't eaten _or_ slept in days and that's not healthy at all. I don't want you to think badly of the Suzuki clan."

The prisoner gazed at her with a look in his eyes that somehow satisfied something inside her and she held his hands tighter. "Mari..." he said softly and for a moment she was taken aback by his speaking to her so informally but before she could say anything, he pressed his lips to hers and it only took her a few moments to gather what was happening before she pushed him away from her, gasping before giving him a slap on the cheek that echoed throughout the prison halls.

"I think you're misunderstanding," she told him, wiping off her lips with the back of her hand, "I was just trying to be nice. I wasn't flirting with you."

Haruki stepped forward this time, gazing at the prisoner with a grave expression on his face. "Mari, you're not being strict enough with him. Let me make this clearer for you, friend. If you ever touch my _wife_ inappropriately like that again, I won't hesitate to kill you, _prisoner_."

The prisoner gazed at Haruki with such immense hatred that it sent chills down her spine before he sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor and returning to the back corner he was sitting in before and as he walked, he mumbled, "You really did forget about me, Mari."

Mari opened her mouth to question him but Haruki turned off the lights before she could, taking her by the hand and leading her outside.

Akio peered around prison door, searching for anybody coming before entering, closing the door and locking it and turning on the light. He approached to find Yumichika in a fetal position and he could hear faint sobbing coming from him. Hit with a pang of sympathy, he grasped the keys, unlocking his cell and approaching him, kneeling down beside him, holding out the keys. "You've done your time. Give me your hands so I can let you out."

"No," Yumichika answered, "I don't want to leave. If this is the only way I can see her, then I'll stay here forever."

Akio furrowed his brow. "Look at you. You're exhausted and you've starved yourself; you look like a skeleton. Besides, you haven't seen her since the night I told you what happened between her and Haruki so who's to say you'll never see her again?"

Yumichika wiped his eyes on his sleeve, sitting up. "I don't care about my health. I'll live as long as I know she's okay." He sniffled, gazing up at the ceiling with his puffy eyes. "She didn't come to visit because she... she forgot that I was down here." Akio gazed at him with a look of utter confusion on his face. "She doesn't remember me at all. _He_ brought her down here this morning and she was lovey-dovey with him and she asked me what my name is. She's forgotten about me completely. That was what his dirty little trick was; he made her all his."

Akio sighed, crossing his arms. "She's forgotten? Then why don't you remind her if she comes down here again? A memory spell can be broken. Now, in the meantime, you do need to eat. Do you want me to start bringing you food every day so you aren't starving?"

Yumichika nodded, his eyes glazed over as if he were in a daze. "It bothered me so much when they were down here because Mari was so clueless about what he had done to her; he was just standing behind her, smirking at me the whole time because he knew I knew."

"Mari didn't show any signs of remembering you at all? I know for a fact that her feelings for you were too strong to just forget about."

Yumichika closed his eyes. "She looked like she remembered just for a second when we locked eyes but I got carried away and tried to kiss her and she slapped me. I could tell she even got mad when I called her Mari because it's _informal_ for a lowly prisoner like me to be referring to a noble by their first name." Akio unlocked Yumichika's spirit energy seal and he rubbed his bright red wrists. "Why did you unlock it?"

"I know that it's too tight and I'm gonna take you somewhere that you need to go. I'll bring you back tonight and I'll lock the door so no one comes in and they'll just think someone's visiting you."

"How are we going to leave if the door is locked?"

Akio smiled, getting to his feet and helping Yumichika to his, leading him out of the cell and retrieving his zanpakuto, handing it to Yumichika. "There's two ways out in here in case of emergency. The second one, only me and Mari know about." He led him in the opposite direction of the door before feeling around on the wooden floors, pressing down and a square of the floor opened up, revealing a tunnel and a ladder. He gestured Yumichika to go ahead and he did, although Yumichika's body was still weak so he was slow to descend the stairs but Akio was patient with him, following behind closely. "Go straight ahead until you see a ladder. It leads to outside the house of Suzuki and we'll be unseen from guards."

Yumichika nodded, leading the whole way there and once they were outside, Akio surprised Yumichika by lifting him up and doing flash step to the outside of Ikkaku's house. "Why are we at Ikkaku's house?"

Akio tossed Yumichika over his shoulder, being that he was very light since he had lost so much weight, and he knocked on the door. It only took a few moments before Ikkaku answered and he eyed Akio. "Do you need something? Who's that? Don't just bring random people into my house."

Akio laughed and Yumichika pushed off of him, facing Ikkaku. "It's me!" he exclaimed and Ikkaku's eyes widened.

"What the hell? You look like you haven't slept or eaten in years."

Akio pushed Yumichika inside. "He hasn't eaten in a week and he's been up the past few nights. Listen, Ikkaku, we have to talk. Let's go inside." Ikkaku stepped aside and Akio sat on the opposite side that Yumichika was sitting, Ikkaku sitting at the side in between, and he took a deep breath. "Apparently, according to Yumichika, Haruki put some sort of spell on Mari to make her forget about Yumichika completely. That's why he hasn't been eating or sleeping. The first few days he only did because Mari spent the nights with him and she fed him breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't blame him for not wanting to eat or sleep there; the bed is too hard to sleep on and the food is disgusting and the guards treat you like dirt."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "I was there, remember? But Yumichika was the only one who got the first class imprisonment."

Akio shook his head. "That's not the point though. Mari lost her memory so she doesn't know she's supposed to be feeding him and taking care of him."

"So what do you want me to do?" Ikkaku muttered, "Should I kill that husband of hers?"

Akio chuckled nervously, shaking his head. "Uh, no. I just want you to take care of Yumichika. If he stays like this in that jail cell any longer, he's going to die. I'm going to report everything that's happened to the higher ups and see what can be done. Don't let him out of your sight because before you know it he's gonna try to go back."

Ikkaku eyed Yumichika, who was twiddling his thumbs under the table. "You're not going anywhere, Yumichika."

"I'll find a way," he said quietly.

Akio sighed, getting to his feet. "This whole situation makes me sort of glad I'm not in love. It seems like there's more bad than good."

Mari gazed at Haruki in her bed, feeling utter guilt just watching him lie there and he turned to face her, gazing at her expectantly. "Mari, dear, is something wrong?"

Mari fingered her shirt collar, shaking her head. "Nothing's wrong, but I... I feel like I need to sleep alone tonight."

He furrowed his brow, his eyes widening. "Impossible... why?"

"I don't know. I just feel like if I don't, something bad will happen. Just for tonight, okay, darling?" She smiled, approaching him and touching his chest, about to kiss him when suddenly she felt her stomach clench at the thought of kissing him. She couldn't do it, yet she didn't even know why.

Just as she was about to force herself to do it, there was a loud knock on her front door and she hurried to answer it, Haruki behind her. It was a servant down on his hands and knees, bowing to her and Akio stood behind him. "I'm terribly sorry for coming here so late, Miss Mari," the servant greeted, his eyes squeezed closed as if she would hit him, "but the elders requested it. They said that they've received an order from Central 46 to let Akio return to his post."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Central 46? Why did they make an order like that? What do they care where Akio works?"

Haruki behind her sighed. "Are you really that desperate to get your job back that you begged to Central 46 until you could? Mari doesn't want you here, Akio. She said so herself."

"I didn't say-..." Haruki placed his hand on her forehead and her mouth closed and even after he pulled away, she couldn't figure out how to speak.

Akio didn't seem to notice, grinning. "Yes, I am that desperate. Anyway, Central 46 made an order so you have no choice. I don't care if _Mari_ wants it or not." The servant bowed again before hurrying off and Akio brushed past them, stepping inside, gazing around. "It's clean for once. I take it Haruki is the one who cleans up after Mari then because Mari's not the cleaning type... of course, unless it's for..." He turned towards the two of them, biting his lip. "Oops."

Mari still couldn't speak but she had heard Akio say who it was for, yet the word didn't reach her ears. She squeezed Haruki's arm and he snapped his fingers. "What did you say, Akio?"

He was saying something and she could only hear his voice mumbling, yet he appeared to be speaking loudly. "Mari, can you even hear what I'm saying to you? You look confused."

Mari shook her head. "I can hear you speaking, but... when you say certain things, I can't understand the words. It's like you're speaking a different language."

Akio glared at Haruki, who chuckled, touching his chin. "It sounds that way to me too. Akio, while you were gone, did you learn a new language?"

Akio rolled his eyes before disappearing down the hall. "I'm going to bed. No one follow me."


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Mari awoke by herself just as she'd gone to bed by herself and she felt relieved, sitting up in her bed. She got to her feet and changed into a floral yukata before having someone come and fix her hair for the day, all before she'd had breakfast. When she stepped out of her room, she entered the kitchen to find Akio sitting at the table, eating his breakfast and another one was set across from him but it was only breakfast for two.

Akio gestured to the spot across from him. "Sit down. We need to have a little chat." Mari nodded, having a seat and she had done little more than nibble on her food before Akio spoke again. "I released the prisoner."

Mari's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Akio smiled. "He's a friend. He's a nice guy, Mari. You should try getting to know him a bit."

Mari chuckled. "Akio, are you trying to set me up with him? You're forgetting that I'm married. Anyway, he's a felon; the family wouldn't let me marry him. What did he do, anyway?"

Akio gazed at her a moment before slowly saying, "He kidnapped you. Did you hear that?"

Mari chuckled again. "What? Akio, I wasn't ever kidnapped. What are you talking about?"

Akio took a deep breath. "Remember, Mari? When you and Haruki first tried to have your wedding and Ikkaku and I fought the guards when the prisoner jumped in from the window and he took you to his house?"

Mari felt a sudden, severe migraine and she dropped her chopsticks, taking hold of her head, squeezing her eyes closed. She could see images flashing of what Akio was saying but the harder she tried to remember, the more it hurt her head so she pushed away the thoughts forcefully, taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay, Mari?" Mari hadn't realized that Akio was at her side now until her headache cleared and she nodded slowly.

"I think so," she murmured, sitting up and returning to her food. "It was weird. It's like your story made my head hurt that bad." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Stop making up stupid stories and this won't happen."

Akio gazed at her with wide eyes before sighing and returning to his spot across from her. "Mari, I guess I can't tell you anything, but... don't trust Haruki. Don't let him get too close."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "How come?"

Akio opened his mouth before gazing up at the ceiling and shaking his head. "I'll just... tell you later, I guess. Hurry up and eat because your servant told me I need to take you shopping today, plus I have an errand to run."

They ate in silence and then Mari followed him outside, gazing around. "I'm a little glad you released the prisoner."

Akio glanced back at her. "Why's that?"

"I was worried about him. I don't think he was eating or sleeping."

Akio smiled. "He'll be fine. I made sure he would. He's just... going through something really rough right now."

"What's he going through?" she asked, "I mean if he wouldn't mind me knowing, since we don't really know each other."

Akio tapped his chin for a moment before speaking slowly as if choosing his words carefully. "See... there's this girl that he's in love with. And when I say in love, I mean _in love_ like if she asked him to, he'd probably feed himself to a hollow. He's crazy about her. But this girl, she... she was forced into an arranged marriage. She didn't want it either because I know she loved that guy just as much as he loves her and she did everything in her power to try and stop the wedding but she couldn't. In the end, I guess her husband turned out to be someone she didn't expect, and... It seems she's forgotten all about him."

Mari frowned, gazing at her feet. "That's so sad. I feel sorry for him... Is there anything I can do?"

Akio turned to face her. "Yeah, actually, there is. This is going to sound weird but I think right now what he needs is comfort from a woman but I'm not asking you to do anything crazy like cheating, I mean just talk to him and have lunch with him."

"Oh," she responded, "Is that why he kissed me? That was creepy."

Akio chuckled, scratching his head. "Yeah, um, he wasn't thinking clearly, seeing as he was hungry and worn out. He won't do it again."

Mari eyed him. "Yeah I hope so. Anyway, when are we going?"

"In just a second," he answered. He led her through the seireitei and she was baffled as to how he managed to know his way around here before he stopped at someone's house. "Can you wait out here just for a second? I'll be right back." Mari nodded and watched as he entered the house without knocking. He came back out after just a few moments, waving her inside. She entered slowly, gazing around and Akio gestured to the floor for her to sit and she did before he yelled something she couldn't quite understand, much like the night before with Haruki. The prisoner entered and his eyes widened when they found Mari sitting down on the floor beside Akio's feet.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Akio chuckled. "I brought you a present. Sit down."

He approached them cautiously, sitting down near Mari but not next to her, so that they were facing each other. "Why did you do this, Akio?"

Akio took a deep breath, just as someone else entered and Mari gazed at him, feeling as if she knew his name on the tip of her tongue, yet she needed to think to remember it before she snapped her fingers. "I remember your name," she announced, "Its Ikkaku, isn't it?"

He nodded before lifting his gaze to Akio when he began to speak. "I guess he just erased her memories of... him. Anyway, nobody try to tell her anything about the past because it will hurt her head. And she can't hear _his_ name." He pointed to the prisoner.

Mari cocked her head to one side. "Are you talking about me?" Akio nodded, kneeling down beside her before saying something incomprehensible and her brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

Akio nodded again. "See? Mari, I just said his name," he pointed at the prisoner, "Haruki did something to you so that you couldn't hear his name."

Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous. Haruki hasn't done anything of the sort to me. He loves me. Besides, why would he waste his power and time making it so I couldn't hear some guy's name?"

Akio rolled his eyes. "Mari, get it through your head. Haruki is not who you think he is."

Mari crossed her arms. "Whatever. We didn't come here to argue about this."

Akio took another deep breath. "Okay, well, you can't hear his name so we have to have a nickname or something you can call him."

Mari looked away. "Well, I don't even know him so you can't expect me to think of one."

Akio got back on his feet, crossing his arms. "You don't have to know him. Just call him the first thing that comes to your head. Call him something you like, I guess. I don't think he'll mind what you call him, anyway."

Mari sighed, tapping her chin. "I like bunnies. Can I call you Bunny?"

The prisoner looked a bit surprised before nodding. "Okay."

Akio clapped his hands once. "Alright then, now that that's settled, um... Ikkaku and I have something to attend to." He took Ikkaku by the wrist and disappeared without another word, leaving Mari alone with Bunny.

"I didn't know you liked bunnies," he said, scratching his head.

"Yeah because we don't know each other," she sighed, "I'm sorry, I don't really know what to talk about."

He gave her a smile. "That's okay. I don't mind whether you talk or not."

She blushed, looking away. "I'm glad you're looking better now. I was really worried when I saw you before because you looked ill."

"I wasn't feeling well," he admitted, "but I'm better now." When there was silence, she lifted her gaze to him and he smiled again. "I'm glad you're looking well too."

Mari chuckled. "Yeah, well, it's hard not to when all I do is sit at home anymore. I lead a pretty boring life." She tapped her chin. "Although, I don't think it was like this before I got married, but... I can't quite remember what I used to do." She squinted her eyes as she attempted to recall but all she succeeded in doing was giving herself another intense migraine and she squeezed her eyes closed, holding on to her head and she pushed the thoughts away as forcefully as she could. When the headache finally subsided, she felt warm hands on her arms and she lifted her gaze to see Bunny gazing at her worriedly. "I'm sorry," she sat up and he took a deep breath, "That's the second time today that that's happened to me. Maybe I'm coming down with something." She watched as he returned to his spot before speaking. "So, um... I don't know if this is a sensitive subject for you or anything but Akio told me that you were... hurt by a girl."

He shook his head. "She didn't mean to. I know she's a good person and I'm okay as long as she's okay."

Mari smiled. "That's very sweet. Can you tell me about her? If you don't mind, that is."

He returned her smile, gazing down at the floor. "The first thing I ever noticed about her was how incredibly pretty she is. She has beautiful long hair and the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. She's hardworking and determined and she's funny and sweet and every time I see her smile I fall in love with her all over again. I don't know how to explain it... it's like she lights up the whole room the moment she walks into it. She's independent and I was always wondering if I was more in love than she was but she was mine so it didn't matter. I want her to be as happy as she can be and if that's with her husband now, then that's okay. The only reason it upsets me that they're together is that I don't trust him in the slightest and I just have this feeling that he's going to hurt her and that thought scares me so much. I don't like seeing her cry and I know that if she were still in love with me, no matter what happened, she wouldn't have to worry about if I changed my mind about her or if I was seeing another woman or anything. She's the only one for me and I'm convinced that it's true."

Mari dropped her gaze to her lap, touching her lips with her fingertips, her heart pounding in her chest; why did she feel as if he was talking about her? She pushed away the thought, giggling. "She's a lucky girl. It's kind of sad but I don't think my own husband would even talk about me that way, even though I wish he did think of me so highly. Sometimes he's so nice to me but other times it's like he doesn't even care what I want or how I feel; it's like our relationship is all about him." She giggled again, blushing. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be telling you so much."

Bunny shook his head. "No, please. Go ahead."

Mari sighed, gazing at her lap again. "He's way too possessive and overprotective to the point where I hardly even get to leave the house because he's worried I'm going to see someone else. He acts like that, yet he doesn't show any signs of actually being in love with me. I feel like I'm giving him everything and devoting all my time to him yet he won't even take off that aloof exterior of his around me. I know we haven't been married long but our relationship feels so one-sided."

"Do you love him?" Mari lifted her gaze to him, surprised at his words. "Are you in love with him?"

She looked away. "Um... I'm supposed to be."

He chuckled, giving her a sympathetic look. "Every married couple is supposed to be in love at some point but you don't sound too convinced."

She sighed, twiddling her thumbs. "I don't know. I want to be. My life is going to be pretty unhappy if I don't fall in love with him."

"Don't force yourself," he told her, "I think as long as you two are okay on a friendship level, then one day you'll fall in love."

Mari smiled at him. "It would be nice, but... I just can't see it if you want to know the truth. Haruki, he's... he's got a hard shell. When we first met, before we were married, he was really nice to me and he told me things like there's no other woman for him and that I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and things like that and I guess I was flattered. If you want to know the truth, I never really wanted to marry him but I actually started to like him after I met him. Once he knew I was trying hard to impress him was when he started letting things go to his head and taking advantage of me. We've only had sex once because it was so awful and..." she trailed off, her face flushing bright red and her eyes wide. She covered her face, just leaving space between her fingers to see. "I'm so sorry. That was going too far, wasn't it?"

Bunny shook his head. "You can talk about whatever you want to talk about. It's not too personal for me."

Mari covered her eyes by closing her fingers and she squeezed them closed as she spoke. "It's so embarrassing but I've kept it bottled up because I didn't wanna hurt Haruki's feelings but when we had sex I could feel the lack of love or passion; he only wanted it out of pure lust and nothing else. And he was way too rough with me to the point where I was in pain." When she felt her blush disappear, feeling a bit more comfortable she let her hands fall to her lap. "After that, I started making up excuses to get out of sleeping with him because I really don't want him to touch me again. On top of that, I just have this weird feeling in my gut that I shouldn't even share a bed with him anymore. It took some convincing last night but I got him to leave me alone for the night. I'm beginning to feel suffocated. I feel like there was something that used to give me relief but I can't remember what..."

Bunny stiffened. "Don't think too hard about it or it might hurt your head."

Mari scratched her chin. "I don't understand, though. Why does trying to remember things hurt my head?"

He tilted his head to one side. "Um... I don't want you to get upset with me when I say this, but what Akio said is true."

"What?"

"That Haruki did this to you."

Mari dropped her gaze, furrowing her brow. "But why would he? It just doesn't make any sense."

"Mari, I can't give you any details because it'll hurt your head but Haruki has erased some of your memories and that's why you can't remember things. That thing that gave you relief is something that he got rid of."

"But why?"

"I'm not exactly sure what happened but... let's just say there was a hindrance with you and Haruki's marriage and he erased your memories to eliminate it."

"And how do you know this? We've only just met."

He slowly shook his head. "Please, for your sake, don't try to remember when I tell you this but I knew you before. I'm the hindrance he erased from your memories."

Mari turned away, crossing her arms. "Are you hungry? I'm getting hungry. Let's have lunch."

Bunny heaved a sigh before responding, "Fine."


	14. Chapter 14

Mari began visiting Bunny every day for two weeks, while Haruki simply thought she was running errands with Akio. She couldn't help but notice she had been developing feelings for Bunny; it was almost like she'd known him for so much longer than she did and like he was becoming a very important role in her life. He was everything that Haruki wasn't; he was friendly to her, he was giving and gentle, and he was honest and he was loving and caring and sweet. She tried to repress these feelings because, since she was married, she couldn't possibly be with another man, no matter what her feelings were. The more time she spent around Haruki, the more she began to notice that he acted touchy when she brought up trying to remember things and Akio and Bunny were finally beginning to convince her that he really had erased her memories but she tried to act normal around Haruki.

Mari sat beside Bunny, gazing at the paper on the table in front of the both of them as Bunny wrote something on it before turning to her. "That's my name. Try to say it."

Mari gazed at it for a moment before slowly saying, "Yumichi-..." She trailed off when her head began to hurt severely, possibly one of the worst headaches she'd had out of all of them but it faded away instantly when Bunny held her tightly by the shoulders. "At least I know it now," she told him once her headache subsided, "That's better than nothing."

He nodded, releasing her and giving her a smile. "Hey, Mari, we don't have to try to get your memories back, at least not for today. I don't want to hurt your head too much in one day. Okay?"

Mari touched her chin, gazing down at her hands in her lap. "Bunny... can I ask you something about my past?" He nodded. "I think about this every day until my head starts to hurt because it's been racking my brain, but... were we in love before?" When he was silent, she lifted her gaze to him to see that he was gazing at her, expressionless, as if he were unable to respond. "I'm trying not to think about it now so we can talk about it but is that why Haruki erased my memories? Because I loved you and not him?"

Bunny hesitated a moment before nodding. "Yeah, we were. Remember that girl I told you about?" Mari nodded, gazing at her lap. "Well... that girl was you, Mari."

Mari twiddled her thumbs as she ran through every word he'd said that day through her head, her heart racing in her chest. "Bunny... if you want to know the truth, I only have an interest in a particular kind of boy and I don't remember ever feeling any kind of attraction to any boy like that except you. I hope I can regain my memories, for your sake. But right now... I'm too afraid to sneak around behind Haruki's back even though lately he's been paying less and less attention to me and more and more attention to Akio."

Bunny shook his head. "That's okay. I like it when we just sit around and talk like this. It's nice."

Mari smiled. "I do too."

Before their conversation could escalate any further, the door opened and Akio scratched his chin. "Sorry to interrupt but we have to go now, Mari. Haruki's waiting for you."

Mari nodded, getting to her feet before waving at Bunny. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled. "See you."

Mari followed Akio outside and, walking behind him, she noticed he had his head down, gazing at his feet as he led her through the maze of the seireitei and she only spoke once there was no one around. "Akio, are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Mari furrowed her brow. "You don't look okay. What's wrong?

He crossed his arms, looking away. "I told you I'm okay."

Mari pouted, poking his side. "Akio, I've known you for how long now? You don't have to keep everything hidden from me, you know. I'm not going to make fun of you or anything and even if I did, you have a million things to make fun of me with to get back at me."

Akio shook his head. "I know you won't but... I... it's just... I don't know. Don't take this the wrong way or anything but seeing you with Yu-... I mean _Bunny_ reminds me of this girl I used to know."

Mari gasped, giving him a grin. "You like a girl, Akio? You never told me that!"

Akio blushed, keeping his gaze on his feet. "Well, not exactly. I did love a girl, once. She was... very precious to me. She was the one who introduced me to your parents."

Mari gazed at him for a moment, smiling. "What happened? Did she see the way you look when you wake up in the morning and then she decided you weren't the one for her?"

"No," he snapped, his gaze dropping to his feet, "Actually, she died, but... I don't really want to go into details about it right now."

Mari's smile instantly faded and was replaced with a concerned frown. "I'm sorry, Akio... Being around Bunny and I makes you sad?"

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. It was a long time ago. It's okay, really. It doesn't bother me much anymore."

Mari gently nudged his arm. "Hey... if it doesn't bother you... could you tell me about her?"

Mari had a genuinely curious expression on his face that he noticed when he turned to gaze at her and he breathed a chuckle, looking away. "Okay, I guess. Her name was Sakiko... Saki for short. She's one of the most beautiful girls you'd ever see if you saw her. I... I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. She has this beautiful long silky black hair and these icy blue eyes and this contagious smile. Everyone always saw her as the responsible, proper Sakiko because nobody knew her like I did. Nobody knew that she could be so kind and loving and that she was sarcastic and she always was in a rebellious mood. She was always smiling and always happy, until..." He trailed off and Mari didn't pester him to continue, seeing the sad expression on his face; instead she continued walking on silently, gazing at her feet and praying that she would never have to know what Akio was feeling, having lost the one he loved the most. "Mari," he said, breaking the silence that had only momentarily settled in while they were walking, "does talking about this give you a headache?"

Mari slowly lifted her gaze to him. "No... why should it?"

Akio turned towards her. "The name... Sakiko... doesn't hurt your head?"

Mari shook her head. "Akio... are you hiding something from me? I thought the only memories that got erased were my memories of Bunny."

Akio touched his chin. "Mari, can you repeat after me? Sakiko Suzuki."

"Sakiko Suzuki," Mari repeated. "I've never heard of Sakiko Suzuki before."

Akio opened his mouth to speak just as the household came into view, when he closed it again and he led the way inside the gates. "Mari, go see Haruki. Don't bring up Saki in front of him. Act normal."

Mari nodded before parting ways with him, entering her home and gazing around. It was seemingly silent, until she neared her bedroom, when she heard Haruki's voice. She tilted her head towards the door, cracking it open to see that he appeared to be on the phone. "He's in the way. Let me get rid of him... No, of course not. He's trying to help Mari regain her memories and if she does then that will ruin the entire plan... Sakiko, you're being stupid." Mari bit back a gasp at the name. Surely it was just a coincidence though; Akio had said that his Sakiko was dead. "You're turning this around on me. Of course I'm not developing feelings for that brat. She's nothing but an ant for me to squash. The only reason we're taking such drastic measures is because of her nobility and those other brats she has sticking their noses into things. I'm telling you, Sakiko, that Akio is just a hindrance in our plans. Let me kill him." There was a long pause and Mari touched her chin nervously, her eyes wide; he wanted to kill Akio? "Of course I only love you, Saki. You're the only one for me. That stupid girl is a bother to me. I'm only carrying out your orders."

After that he said his goodbye to her and hung up the phone and the next second, Mari stood in front of him, holding her sword to his neck. "I don't know who this Sakiko is but I will never let you lay a finger on Akio."

Haruki gazed at her in astonishment for a moment but eased into relaxation again, giving her a chuckle. "Oh, Mari. You're quite slow, aren't you? Pulling your sword out against me like that... It's disgusting." Suddenly he vanished along with her zanpakuto before aiming the tip of it at her throat. "I don't even think you deserve to live but my dear Sakiko has some other plans for you. Isn't it beautiful? The love of an older sister."

Mari took a step away. "Older sister?"

Haruki laughed, using his free hand to cover his lips. "Oh, it seems I've said a bit too much. However, the spell preventing you from remembering should have worn off by now... at least with your memories of Sakiko. It shouldn't be difficult to remember. She practically raised you, anyway even though she was only a few years older than you. Come on, Mari, you must be dumber than I thought. It was only a couple of years ago." Haruki sighed when he received no reaction from Mari, standing up straight and dropping her zanpakuto. "Whatever. I'll leave it to you to remember. Be on your guard, though, Mari, because I'll be back and most likely when I do come back, you will die, along with Akio and that little boyfriend of yours."

Mari froze when he disappeared. Even if she had to give her life for it, she wouldn't let Akio and Bunny die; she would never let it happen, ever. No matter what happened to her, they were her priority. She needed to keep them alive.

Mari knelt down to lift up her sword, returning it to the scabbard at her hip before opening the door and rushing outside, gazing around before hurriedly calling, "Akio!"

Akio appeared beside her. "What's wrong, Mari? Did something happen?"

Mari's heart was racing in her chest as she gazed at him. "Akio... we need to find Bunny and we need to stick together for a while. Haruki is planning to kill all three of us." She took a step forward, clenching his sleeve. "Akio, you have to tell me about my older sister. I don't remember having one, but according to Haruki, the spell that makes me forget is only temporary and although the effects of it, which are me forgetting, last until it's brought up again, the actual spell that prevents me from remembering is the thing that gives me headaches and that wears off. He must have put a spell on me to make me forget about her but I need to remember her now. Maybe if I remember her, I'll be closer to getting my memories of Bunny back!"

Akio seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with her proposal. "Your older sister? Uh..."

Mari furrowed her brow, getting to her toes. "Akio, you have to tell me!"

Akio scratched his chin. "See, Mari... your sister is the one I told you about. Sakiko Suzuki. She's the one that died."

Mari fell to her flat feet, releasing his sleeve and taking a step away from him. "Akio... you know..." She considered what she could possibly say to him. The girl he'd thought was dead for so long now was actually alive and plotting his death? She couldn't possibly word it nicely. Mari nibbled on her lip before shaking her head. "Never mind. I need you to go find Bunny and bring him here. He can stay here for the time being. I want you to stay here too, instead of wherever you've been sleeping. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms. I want to keep you both close to me just so I can be sure you're okay."

Akio nodded. "Keep your sword on you just in case. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere and if anything happens, call my name."

"I know, I know. Just hurry."

Mari sat at the table, her palm cupping her face as she lazily gazed off into space. It had been about an hour since Akio had left and she couldn't help but wonder what was taking so long. She almost felt startled when the door finally opened, Akio leading Bunny inside and she jumped to her feet, a grin on her face. "You finally made it! Okay, sit down. We need to talk." Mari, Bunny, and Akio each sat at their own side of the table, Mari seated in the middle of them, turning to gaze at Akio. "Akio, I need you to tell me what you can about Sakiko and how she died. I need you to try and jog my memory."

Akio twiddled his thumbs below the table. "Honestly... I don't think I'm ready, Mari."

Mari clenched her hands. "Akio, you have to. What other choice do we have?"

Akio sighed, burying his face into his arms on the table. "Fine. Saki was your older sister and she was, I believe, four years older than you. She was originally meant to become head of the Suzuki clan following your parents. Oh, and your parents didn't die when you were a baby, but I'll get to that later. Saki was always so happy but then what happened... Saki wandered off into the seireitei because she was curious, just like you always were but some drunken guys found her and they raped her. Word got out about it and people thought she slept with both of them of her own accord. In order to maintain the family's honor, they decided to make you the head instead of Sakiko. She was heartbroken. She went from being this girl who was always so happy and cheerful to being someone who... was always sad. She even began hurting herself. I tried so hard to stop her but I didn't know what to say to her, if you want to know the truth. I've never been in that position before and I didn't want her to think I was trying to be a know-it-all and get mad at me because after she was raped, she had been very touchy, which was understandable, considering it traumatized her.

"That was when things started getting a bit out of hand. Saki started to grow jealous of you because everyone started paying attention to you since you were the princess and she was so used to being the center of everyone's attention that she thought they were abandoning her. She kept telling me how much she hated you, which shocked me since she loved you so much before the incident, but I don't think she hated you now that I think about it; I think she was just hurt because you seemed oblivious of her feelings at the time. Then one day, Saki stopped talking to me. The very next day was the day your family's entirety found your mother's body hanging by the gate, covered in gore and blood. A week after that, your father disappeared and the next day, you and Saki disappeared too. Everyone was in a panic; they were so sure it was the end of the Suzuki clan but then another week later, a miracle happened and you reappeared. You were passed out in the middle of the field by the clan prison. When you awoke, you had lost all your memories. Your father's will said that he wanted me to take care of either you or Sakiko if something happened to him because he trusted me a lot.

"Your father and Sakiko were never found; not their bodies or anything so they were simply assumed dead. I couldn't help but blame you because I didn't know what to think since I loved her so much and the things she said about you influenced what I thought about you too and of course I figured you saved yourself and didn't bother trying to save Saki. The thought bothered me a lot and that's why I was always so mean to you."

Mari gazed down at the table, clenching her hands into fists. If what he said was true, then... could it be possible that Sakiko was after her out of revenge for taking her place? But what else was there to do then? The elders didn't see her fit to be the princess any longer and Mari was the only person who could take the job and it was the elders' decision so why should she blame Mari? That aside, what in the world would she want to kill Akio for if they used to be lovers? Mari lifted her gaze to Akio again, furrowing her brow. "Akio, who exactly are you?"

Akio scratched his head, giving her a sheepish chuckle. "Well if you want to know the truth, I grew up with the Suzuki clan since I'm a distant relative but I have a different family name. I'm not directly related to you. I was always everyone's little errand boy so your parents knew me and they wanted me to marry Sakiko. Saki and I were betrothed before she disappeared."

Mari narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you ever do anything bad to her or hurt her or anything?"

Akio lifted his gaze to the ceiling as he thought. "I don't think so... well... she might have felt alone since I never knew what to say to her. I think she thought I didn't really love her. Then when you were announced to be the head instead of her, they called off the wedding because they didn't think it was important enough to hold one since she wasn't the head. They wanted me to marry you but I told them no because I loved Sakiko."

Mari looked away, nibbling on her lip. "Sakiko Suzuki..." She suddenly felt a jolt and jumped to her feet. "Um... I don't feel good. I think I'm gonna go to bed. Akio, show Bunny to one of the guest rooms when he's tired. Wake me up if you need anything." She hurried to her room, closing the door behind her before changing into pajamas and climbing into bed, pulling her blanket up to her chin. She had a dull headache and her stomach was turning, the only thing keeping her from vomiting was her heavy breathing. She squeezed her eyes closed, thinking to herself, _'Sakiko Suzuki.'_ It was the last thought she had before she was engulfed with sleep.

The next morning, Yumichika sat at the table, still in Mari's house, with his head down, gazing at the wall. He had hardly slept the night before, feeling worried about what Akio had told him; that Haruki was planning to kill the three of them. It wasn't that he was afraid of a fight, it was just that he didn't want Mari to get hurt and clearly she was the main target in the situation; Akio and Yumichika were just hindrances. He sighed, tapping his fingers on the table. It felt nice to spend the night in Mari's house for the first time, although he would have preferred sharing a room with her. That might have been too much to ask for though, considering Mari hadn't regained her memories.

Finally, he got to his feet and made his way down the hall, stopping at Mari's bedroom. Listening closely, he noticed it was silent; could she still be still asleep? She'd gone to bed awfully early the day before and if she was still tired, it was a strong sign that she was ill. He knocked gently and received no answer, so, worried, he opened the door and peered in, yet Mari was nowhere to be found. "Mari?" He glanced left and right before calling her name loudly, darting around the house and looking in each room before rushing outside. "Mari!"

"I'm right here," her voice sounded and he spun around to see her sitting on the ledge, a sad expression on her face.

He heaved a sigh of relief, giving her a sheepish smile. "Oh thank goodness. I thought they got you." He turned away. "Mari, let's get back inside. I feel uncomfortable out here." Suddenly he heard Mari get to her feet and she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his back and he heard light sobs coming from her.

"Despite what's going on," she murmured, "I feel happy... Yumichika." Yumichika froze at her words and she continued, "Haruki is gone and you and I are sleeping in the same house again and Akio is still around me too. I'm so happy."

Yumichika felt her cry into his clothes and he knew she was crying with happiness rather than sadness. "Mari," he barely whispered, "you... you said my name. You got your memories back?"

Mari nodded against him and he spun around, pulling her into a tight hug and lifting her feet off of the ground. "I'm so glad I remembered. How could I possibly live without my precious memories of you? I think jogging my memory about Saki was what made me remember you." She held him tight in her arms. "Oh, Yumichika... I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You know, Akio went out for the afternoon... can I make it up to you?"

She heard him breathe a chuckle into her ear as he carried her inside. "You_ should_ make it up to me. You have a lot to make up for."

Mari giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist as she kissed his neck. "Of course, baby. I won't waste a second."


	15. Chapter 15

There was a knock on the door just as Mari had finished her bath and put her clothes on and fixed her hair before she opened the door to see Akio with a happy grin on his face. "Mari, we have a plan. We can't talk about it though. I'll just take you there." He peered over Mari's shoulder at Yumichika, who was fixing the top of his Shihakushō. "He's in here? I didn't know you two got back together."

Mari smiled, touching her lips. "I got my memories back, Akio!"

Akio smiled again. "That's great! Do you remember everything? Yumichika and Saki?"

Mari nodded. "It's a little weird though... it all came to me at once almost like they planned this..."

Akio clapped his hands, as if drawing her attention away from the topic. "Forget about it for now. Just grab anything you really need. Clothes aren't necessary."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "But won't we get stinky if we wear the same clothes every day without washing them? We can't walk around naked."

Akio gave her a sympathetic look before shaking his head. "Just don't worry about it, I promise. Meet me at the gate when you're ready."

Mari tapped her chin. "I'm ready." She turned to Yumichika. "Are you ready?" Yumichika shrugged.

"I guess so. All I really need is my zanpakuto."

Mari nodded. "Me too."

Akio gazed at them for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, then. Let's go now. We can't tell anybody about this."

Yumichika got to his feet off of the bed before standing behind Mari. "What about Ikkaku?"

Akio shook his head. "We can't tell anybody. We can't even talk about it amongst ourselves just yet. Follow me."

Mari followed Akio, Yumichika trailing closely behind her, and Akio led the way to the gate, eventually leading them out and to the senkaimon. Mari gazed at it in awe as it opened and Akio gestured them to follow him but as soon as they stepped in, the door closed but the dongai was stopped so they weren't in any danger. "We're going to the world of the living?" Yumichika broke the silence and Akio nodded.

"It's the only place we can hide right now because nobody knows where Haruki is hiding and nobody knows who his accomplices are."

"What are we going to do there?" Yumichika seemed extremely displeased with the idea of hiding in the world of the living but he didn't complain verbally since they didn't exactly have another choice.

Akio touched his chin. "Well, we'll blend in. I got two apartments; one for me and one for the both of you. We're getting gigai prepared for us and you two can go to school like normal kids."

Mari's brow furrowed. "What are they like? Are they anything like the soul society?"

Yumichika crossed his arms, walking at Mari's side. "I've been to the world of the living before but Mari doesn't have a clue of what it's even like. She won't blend in at all."

Mari pouted. "Hey, give me a chance. After one day, I'll blend in fine. I can guarantee you that!"

Yumichika sighed. "If you say so, Mari."

They arrived soon after and Yumichika lifted Mari on to his back, using his flash step to follow behind Akio until they stopped in front of a candy shop, where he set Mari down. "What are we doing at a candy store? I thought humans couldn't see soul reapers."

Akio knocked on the door. "We're here!" The door opened soon after to reveal a man in a hat and a matching cape and clogs on his feet.

"Glad you made it! Your gigai are ready!"

Mari still wasn't completely used to her gigai and her body felt heavy and cold; probably only cold because of the short skirt she was being forced to wear to attend school. She tugged at her shirt nervously, wishing that the uniform was a bit less revealing just as she heard a knock on the door and she pouted, pulling it open. Of course, the boys uniform looked so much more casual and it complimented Yumichika the way most clothes he wore complimented him and she blushed under his gaze, looking away.

"Is there a winter uniform? It's cold outside and I don't like this," she tugged at the skirt.

Yumichika chuckled. "That is the winter uniform."

Mari gasped, gazing down at herself. "This skimpy little thing? Why do girls here in the world of the living wear stuff like this? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Yumichika shook his head. "No, but its normal. Girls here in Japan can usually show as much of their legs as they want to so nobody is going to look at you weird for wearing it. After school, we can stop by the mall and get some clothes since neither of us have any." Mari frowned, gazing at her feet and he smiled, gently nudging her. "I think you look nice, Mari. I'm not worried; you look like an average high school girl." His smile faded and he touched his chin. "Actually, I am worried. I hope none of the other boys try to make a move on you."

Mari's blushing increased and she touched her cheeks. "Don't say that. Do people here actually do things like that? I thought that was just a myth."

He chuckled before stepping to her side and holding out his arm for her to take before walking her to the door. "We're in the same class."

Mari sighed, gazing at the door as it approached. "What do I do if someone really does flirt with me? Can I just hit him? Is that okay?"

He laughed. "Mari, no. Don't worry about it. Just tell them you have a boyfriend and they should back off. If not, I'll take care of them."

Mari slipped on her shoes as Yumichika did the same, keeping her hand on his arm to maintain balance before he handed her bag to her from beside the door and she sighed again, holding his arm tightly as she followed him outside the building. She blushed as they walked on the sidewalk towards school, feeling as if people's gazes on her and she got to her toes, whispering, "Yumichika, why are they staring at me? I thought you said this skirt length is normal."

Yumichika shrugged. "Maybe they think you're pretty. Do you want me to make them stop looking at you?"

Mari shook her head, wrapping her other arm around his. "It's too cold to be dressed like this. Winter uniform... this stinks."

He gave her a smile. "Give it a chance. We're only going to be here temporarily but we don't know how long we will be here; what if we're here for a whole year and you hate it? That won't be much fun now, will it?"

Mari pouted, tilting her head on to his shoulder. "I guess you're right. Well... at least I have you here with me."

He continued smiling, touching her hand with his free hand. "I'll always be with you, even if you don't want me to."

Mari giggled. "I figured that out when you stuck around until I regained my memories." She closed her eyes, rubbing her face into his shirt. "I love you so much."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, Mari. I always will."

When they finally arrived at school, Mari loosened her grip on Yumichika, only nervously holding on to his sleeve with her hand and he led the way to their first class, where students were already seated. The teacher was speaking in front of the class as well, only pausing when Yumichika knocked on the open door, before leading the way inside.

"Oh," the teacher greeted, "you two must be the new students we were expecting. What are your names? Ayasegawa and Suzuki, is it? Okay, then, Ayasegawa, take your seat beside the window, the last seat in the row and Suzuki, you have a seat in the row next to him, behind Yukimura. She's the class president and she will help you both catch up."

Mari followed Yumichika through the row and stopped at her seat, slowly easing into it as he continued past her to his seat, which was diagonally behind her. She opened up her bag and retrieved a pencil and a notebook, setting them on her desk as the girl in front of her, Yukimura, turned to face her, giving her a friendly smile. "Hi," she whispered, "try to take notes for the lesson today. After class, I'll let you borrow mine to copy so you have something to study."

Mari nodded. "Thanks."

After class, the students all left for lunch except for Mari and Yumichika, who had stayed behind to see the teacher. He gazed at the two for a moment, tapping his pencil on his desk before sighing. "You two registered at a bad time. It's halfway through a semester."

"Yeah, well it was urgent," Yumichika told him.

The teacher sighed again, using his chubby fingers to touch his gray beard stubble as he examined the paper in front of him on his desk. "Are you two siblings? Are you living with your parents?"

Yumichika furrowed his brow and Mari spoke instead. "We're not siblings, we're dating. We're living together."

Yumichika held Mari's wrist, gazing at the teacher suspiciously. "Why are you interested in our personal lives? Who we're living with doesn't matter, since we're old enough to be living alone."

The teacher raised his brow, turning to gaze at Yumichika. "I'm aware of that. I was just curious about why you'd transfer at such an inconvenient time."

"We were homeschooled before," Yumichika crossed his arms, "That's why. I don't see why it's any of your business, though."

Mari stepped forward, interrupting them. "What is homework?"

The room fell silent aside from the ticking of the clock as the teacher gazed at her with an expression of disbelief and confusion. "Homework? Surely you've had homework before, even being homeschooled... or you've at least heard of it before. From television?"

Mari cocked her head to one side. "Television? What is that?" She tapped her chin. "The packet you gave us only talked about homework and assessments. I've taken assessments before; one time I was assessed on swords."

The teacher furrowed his brow. "Um... even if you've never had homework, then surely, you've taken tests before? You don't even know what a test is?"

Before Mari could speak, Yumichika covered her mouth, pulling her against him, sheepishly laughing. "Sh-she's just kidding. Of course we took tests. We went to legitimate school before."

The teacher sighed, handing them each a stack of papers. "You'll need to finish all of this by next Friday if you want to catch up."

"Of course," Yumichika answered, "Thank you, sir. We'll be going now." Before any more words could be exchanged, he pulled Mari out of the room with him and he took a deep breath once the classroom door had closed. "Mari, don't ask any more questions about that stuff. We're supposed to know what we're doing."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "I don't understand. Is it wrong of me not to know what those things are?"

Yumichika nodded. "Here, it is. Even grade school kids take tests and have homework." He slipped his hand into hers, leading her to the cafeteria. "Find a place to sit. I'll get lunches for both of us."

Mari nodded, watching as he disappeared through a door and she turned, walking slowly through the crowd of people sitting and walking around, when she came across a table of girls where a girl with jet black hair and icy blue eyes was whispering to the other girls. Then, they turned to look at her, giggling under their breaths and Mari gave them a smile, waving, which really seemed to make them laugh harder. They seemed nice so Mari took a step towards them, hoping to sit at their table when she felt someone grasp her wrist and she turned to see Yukimura gazing at her worriedly and she cocked her head to one side. "Is something wrong?"

Yukimura's gaze became curious. "I thought you were mad because of what Misaki and her friends were doing. Don't mind them, Misaki's a really mean girl and I sort of feel bad for her because something horrible must have happened to her to make her so rotten and for some reason, everybody likes her. All the boys have a crush on her and all the girls try so hard to be her friend. I don't really understand it." She released Mari's arm, standing up straight and giving Mari a smile. "Do you have some place to sit?"

Mari shook her head. "Yumichika went to go get our lunches and he told me to find a place to sit."

"Oh," she answered, "Is Yumichika the one the teacher called Ayasegawa?" Mari nodded. "Oh, alright, well you both can sit with me. Come on, I was sitting in the court yard." Yukimura led Mari outside and she sat down underneath a tree, where a bag and a bento box were waiting and Mari sat beside her. "So where did you guys transfer from?"

Mari tapped her chin. "We were homeschooled, I think."

Yukimura chuckled. "You think?" She laughed at Mari's puzzled expression before continuing. "Anyway, Suzuki, this is just my advice, having been at this school since I started high school, but I really think you should avoid Misaki and her friends. They'll backstab you and be really mean to you. Just don't do it." She smiled. "I'm Emiko so you can just call me that."

"Emiko is a pretty name," Mari complimented, "My name is Mari."

Emiko's smile grew brighter. "Thank you. Mari is too. But hey, aren't you a little worried? You have a lot of work to make up for."

Mari shrugged. "I'm not worried. It can't be that much work."

Emiko cocked her head to one side. "Are you sure? Was your homeschooling harder?"

Mari shrugged again. "I don't know."

Before Emiko could answer, Yumichika finally arrived, handing Mari the lunch he bought her. "I didn't know you were out here. I looked all over the cafeteria."

Mari smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Yumichika, this is Emiko. She's the class president. Emiko, this is Yumichika."

They greeted each other and Mari began to eat. "Were you both homeschooled before?" Emiko asked and Yumichika nodded. "Are you two related? You don't look related."

"That's because we're not," Yumichika answered, "We're dating."

"Oh," Emiko answered, "I see. It was a little confusing since you joined together. Did your parents agree to let you guys transfer together?"

Mari smiled. "No, it's because we're living together, just like we're married. Right, Yumichika?" She gave him a happy grin which he couldn't help but return, giving her a nod. "Are we still going shopping today?"

Yumichika nodded. "When are you guys gonna make up your work?" Emiko asked and they both shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, um... I could help you catch up if you want. After school, you can stop by my house and I'll give you guys my notes."

Mari tapped her chin. "Will we have time? We're going shopping."

Emiko smiled. "Yeah, I think so. I'll just give them to you and you guys can ask me any questions about it."

Mari returned her smile. "Do you want to come with us?"

Emiko's smile faded, gazing at her curiously. "What, go shopping with you?" Mari nodded. "Um, sure, if you're okay with it."

Mari grinned. "Great! We'll stop at your house and then once we get everything ready, we can get going!"

"Oh," Yumichika interrupted before reaching into his pocket and taking out a pink cell phone, "This is yours, Mari. Akio told me to give it to you so you can contact me or him for whatever reason."

Mari gazed at it as he handed it to her and she held it in her hand. "How do I use it?"

Emiko had a very puzzled expression on her face which seemed to go unnoticed as Yumichika opened it up and explained how she could make a call or send a message. "You should keep it in your bag for the school day. You might get in trouble," he told her.

Mari nodded, slipping it in her school bag before returning to her food. "Emiko," Mari spoke, "you know that very pretty girl you told me about... what was her name? Misaki? Why don't you like her? She seemed nice. She and her friends all smiled at me."

Emiko furrowed her brow, scratching her chin. "Smiled at you? Uh, Mari... I hate to break it to you but they weren't smiling at you."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "Huh? Then what were they doing?"

Emiko chuckled sheepishly, looking away. "They were sort of... laughing at you."

Mari touched her chin. "Laughing at me? For what? I haven't done anything strange... have I? Is it because this skirt is ridiculously short?"

Emiko shook her head. "They were trying to hurt your feelings. You haven't done anything wrong."

Mari's eyes widened. "Hurt my feelings? Then of course I've done something wrong! I need to apologize to her. Why would she want to hurt me if I haven't done anything wrong?"

Emiko sighed, chuckling. "Mari, I can tell you haven't been very social throughout your life. They were just trying to be mean because they are mean. It's not because you did anything wrong. They're probably just jealous of you because you're very pretty and you have a boyfriend and you have a very womanly body."

Mari blushed. "You think so?" She then shook her head quickly. "How rude of her. I should give her a piece of my mind next time I see her."

Emiko held up her hands. "No, don't. Trust me, it will make things much worse if you do. She will make your life hell; believe me. I've seen it happen before my own eyes."

Mari pouted, slouching so that her shoulder was leaning against Yumichika's. "Yumichika, I don't like this school. People have no respect; not the stupid teacher or that girl."

Yumichika sighed. "This is the only place we can go right now. Don't worry, Mari; it's only temporary. If push comes to shove, then we'll still graduate at the end of the year." Mari nibbled on her food, keeping the pout on her face. "I hate when you make that face," he told her and she gazed up at him, pouting even more.

"Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "You look like a little girl when you make that face."

Mari grinned mischievously, touching her chin. "A little girl with a very _womanly_ body, then."

He playfully glared at her. "If you brag about things, you lose them."

Mari laughed, shaking her head and sitting up straight. "If I lost my shape, I wouldn't be the one at a loss; you would."

Yumichika laughed before leaning forward and kissing her cheek. "I wouldn't be at a loss if I still had you."

Mari blushed, looking away. "Not in front of people, Yumichika."


	16. Chapter 16

After lunch, Mari made her way to class behind Emiko and Yumichika walked at her side. As Mari took her seat, she noticed that Misaki was sitting in the seat beside her; she hadn't noticed prior to this part of the day because she wasn't paying attention to anybody in the class, she was only reading the papers that the teacher had given to her. She ignored her, taking out her things and getting ready for class.

The day seemed to drag on but it finally ended and Mari eagerly jumped up, instantly bumping into Misaki, who grunted and pushed Mari back into her seat, giving her a cold glare. "Watch where you're going," Misaki spat, "I don't like touching disgusting things."

Mari's brow furrowed as Misaki began walking slowly to meet up with her laughing friends and just as Yumichika began approaching her, she jumped to her feet again, this time in anger, facing Misaki. "Hey," she fumed, "Don't speak to me like that. Do you know who you're talking to? Of course you don't because you stupid humans can't seem to understand anything, so I'll tell you. You're talking to the princess of the-..."

Yumichika interrupted Mari by putting a hand over her mouth, laughing sheepishly like he did with the teacher. "Ignore her, she's, uh... a little under the weather right now and she's been watching a lot of movies."

Misaki's face went from being annoyed to being understanding and she turned to face them, giving them the sweetest smile Mari had ever seen in her life. "I'm sorry. I'm not feeling too good either, so I probably came off as mean." She bowed her head, closing her eyes. "I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me."

Mari felt a wave of anger; she was only acting like this because Yumichika was with her, but he didn't seem to notice. "Of course Mari forgives you," Yumichika answered, slowly lowering his hand, "It was just a mistake."

Mari pushed Yumichika's hand away, taking a step towards Misaki. "Don't talk for me, Yumichika. Just what do you think you're doing, you insolent little girl? You might have him fooled but I know exactly what you're doing."

Misaki lifted her head and gave Mari an evil smile that frightened her a bit and Misaki stood up straight, spinning Mari to her side so that neither of them were facing Yumichika and she leaned forward, pretending to be giving her a hug as she whispered, "That's exactly the point, my sweet Mari. I'll take him for myself and make him hate you. I'll rip you apart bit by bit until just seeing my face makes you afraid."

Mari gasped, pushing Misaki away. "You're a horrible person. I won't let you near me _or_ Yumichika."

Misaki's face grew sad and her eyes grew pink and wet as she looked away. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to be friends but if you don't want that, that's okay."

Mari's eyes were wide and she turned to look at Yumichika. "Can you believe her? She's lying through her teeth."

Misaki turned halfway away and was trying to hide her face as she wiped the tears that dripped from her eyes. "I'm really sorry," she chuckled sheepishly, "I get like this when people snap at me, but... I probably deserve it, considering how I acted towards you."

Yumichika grasped Mari's wrist. "Mari, that's enough. Everybody's staring. Let's go."

Mari's eyes were still wide as he pulled her out of the classroom and out of the school, where she pulled her wrist away from him. "I can't believe that wicked witch. She's pathetic."

Yumichika glared at her over his shoulder as he began walking towards the school gate. "I think you're the pathetic one, Mari. The girl apologized more than once and you made her cry."

"I'm the pathetic one?" Mari repeated slowly before looking away from him. "Fine. I'm the pathetic one." They were silent until they met up with Emiko at the gate, exchanging hellos before she began leading them to her house to get her notes and Mari didn't speak at all, feeling close to tears. Yumichika had fallen for Misaki's stupid trick and not only that, but he called Mari pathetic as well and it hurt; he'd never insulted her before.

After Emiko explained things to Mari and Yumichika, she handed Mari her notes. "Copy these. If you can, could you bring them back to me tomorrow? I need them to study."

Mari gazed at the notes. "I don't understand this stuff at all."

Emiko chuckled. "Maybe you just forgot. I can tutor you too, to help you catch up. We can meet up again tomorrow after school."

Mari nodded, gazing at them. "Okay. Listen, um... you two can go shopping but I think I'm gonna go back home."

"Why?" Yumichika asked, "We're the ones who need the clothes, Mari. You don't even have anything to sleep in besides the clothes you wore yesterday."

Mari nodded again, looking away. "I guess I just don't feel like shopping. I'm a little tired."

"Is this because of what I said?" Yumichika asked her before putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Mari. I'll make it up to you. Let's stop and get something to eat on the way. What do you want?"

Mari furrowed her brow. "Didn't mean to hurt my feelings? You called me pathetic."

He sighed, turning to Emiko and scratching his head. "Sorry, Emiko but could you excuse us for a moment? We just need to talk." Emiko nodded and Yumichika took Mari's wrist, leading her out of the room and into the bathroom, closing the door. "Mari, of course I don't think you're pathetic. I just said it because I was a little mad at how you were acting." Mari crossed her arms, turning away from him and he sighed again. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?"

"Overreacting?" Mari turned to face him. "Of course not. You insulted me. You, of all people, insulted me. You, the one person who I thought would always be by my side and who would always think highly of me no matter what. I relied on you. I'm still relying on you. I've relied on you since I first got to know you, before I even fell in love with you. You know what, Yumichika? All my life, I've been surrounded by people all the time but after my family died, I had no one. Even Akio was bitter to me; he and I were never close before my family passed away. When I met you, you were nice to me and you paid attention to me and you complimented me and you made me happy; that's why I fell in love with you. You made me feel like I wasn't alone. And you helped Akio be nice to me too so now I have two people in my life to depend on. Nobody ever pays attention to how I feel or what I want; people only care that I become the head and that I'm a positive role model and that I am a good representative for the clan. Nobody really cared how I was doing after my parents died; they just expected I'd be fine just because I had Akio and I lost my memories. The truth is, I was always sad. I was always either thinking about suicide or thinking about how I need to become the best so that no one could ever talk down to me. Then you came along and you made me happy without even knowing you were. You helped me to my feet. I was so happy to have met you. I don't like it that you insulted me because I always thought you would never think of me in a way that insults me and it hurt me a lot. I thought that if I had no one to go to, I could go to you, whether it's with my anger or my sadness or my happiness. But now I know that you don't see me as flawless, since, of course, I'm not flawless; but I see you as flawless." She sighed, turning away again. "Maybe I am overreacting."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, startling her and burying his face into her shoulder. "No, you're not. I'm so sorry, Mari. I didn't know. I love you and I do think of you as flawless but I don't know what came over me when I said that. Really, I'm sorry. I would choose you over that girl any day, no matter what. Could you please forgive me?"

Mari closed her eyes, taking in the feel of his embrace and considering how much she'd come to miss him on the inside while she had lost her memories of him before nodding. "I forgive you."

He held her a few moments longer, kissing her cheek before standing up straight and she turned to face him to see that he was smiling. "Let's go shopping then. Okay?"

Mari smiled, getting to her feet and kissing him tenderly before leading the way back to Emiko's room, where they found her sitting on her bed and kicking her feet but when she saw them, she grinned and stood. "Are we going?"

"Yeah," Mari answered, "Sorry about that... we just had something we had to settle."

She clapped her hands together once. "I'm glad you guys made up then. Let's get going!"

Mari and Emiko paired off together while shopping and Yumichika went off on his own, considering they wanted to shop in different stores. Emiko had Mari try on tons of clothes and Mari was baffled at the fashion of the world of the living; the school uniform was nothing compared to some of the things they had here. Eventually, she spent about 30,000 yen just buying clothes and she got lots of dresses since they were the closest thing to a kimono, which was what she was comfortable wearing and she bought lots of shoes as well, and things Emiko suggested to style her hair or makeup to wear and she also bought pajamas and jeans and tops and accessories. It wasn't an entirely new wardrobe but it was definitely enough to last her for as long as she would need to be here.

Afterwards, they met up with Yumichika again and he seemed to have bought a number of things as well, holding lots of bags and they went to get dinner out somewhere before walking Emiko home and then walking home themselves. Mari bathed before wearing a new nightgown she bought and returning to her bedroom to find Yumichika already lying in bed, but he was still awake and she smiled, climbing into bed beside him.

"I thought you were embarrassed wearing things that short," Yumichika teased, tracing the end of her nightgown with his finger, and it only reached inches past her hips, a bit shorter than the school uniform skirt.

Mari took two handfuls of his shirt in her hands, smiling as she tucked her head under his chin. "I would never wear this in public but I'm not embarrassed to dress like this in front of you."

"Then I guess I'm lucky," he told her, continuing the touch the end of her nightgown.

"Yeah," she giggled, "Why would I be embarrassed in front of you anyway? You've seen me completely undressed before."

He used his free hand to tilt her head up and he kissed her tenderly. "Let me see you like that one more time."

Mari giggled as he sat up and kissed her legs, holding her by her knees until he reached her nightgown, beginning to pull it up and he trailed kisses up her stomach to her neck, where he pulled off the nightgown completely and he began giving her love bites all over her neck and chest, sliding his hand into her panties and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yumichika... I wish we could get married." She thought for a few moments before asking him, "Do you think there's a different kind of wedding ceremony here? People get married here, don't they? They probably do. Yumichika... would it be okay if we tried that?"

"Of course it would," he responded although he seemed preoccupied with her body, as if he wasn't actually paying attention. He sat up and took off his clothes until he was only in his briefs and he took off her undergarment for her before lying on top of her, his hands sliding down her legs and past her hips to her waist and he slid his hands underneath her so that his arms were wrapped around her. He leaned forward and tucked his head over her shoulder, burying his face in her hair as he penetrated her.

"Yumichika," she breathed, beginning to find it a bit difficult to control her voice, "what do you think weddings are like? I hope they're beautiful but then again I think a wedding in general would be beautiful. I wonder what the people here wear to a wedding? I hope it's not something skimpy like everything else here." She paused to pant, tilting her head back and giving him a moan that managed to slip from her lips although she hadn't intended to. "Yumichika... I want to have the most beautiful wedding we can come up with." She hooked her knees on to his hips, wrapping her legs around him before continuing. "Oh, Yumichika... it can be a private wedding, just us two, since we don't have any family or close friends here... Hey, actually, maybe Emiko could come if she helps us out with all of this since... since she's from here so she should... she should know about these kinds of things. Oh and we need to invite Akio. I can... can't believe I almost forgot about him." She moaned again, a bit louder, finding that her voice was getting shakier and harder to control and she slid her hands down Yumichika's chest, slick with sweat, and tucked her hands under his arms to his back and she dug her nails into his skin. "Oh... yes, Yumichika... maybe... maybe if you get in contact with... with Ikkaku you can invite him too. But... I can't think of anyone else." She moaned loudly this time, digging her nails even deeper in his skin, unable to stop them from escaping her lips and she could only speak after a series of moans and groans. "Yumichika... imagine us getting married. Doesn't it make you happy? I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Yumichika... oh... We could spend every night just like this... or we could have our own kids... I wonder what they'd look like... I bet they'd... I bet they'd be so cute, having a father as... as good looking as you are."

She tilted her head back, letting herself go for just a moment as she climaxed and she felt him slide one hand down and he grasped her hip tightly, holding her against him and she could hear him breathing in her ear. When she regained herself after her climax, she returned her hands to his shoulders, one of them entwining with his hair and the other pushing at his shoulder. "Let me up, Yumichika. I want to get on top." He sat up, pulling off of her and she sat in his lap, leaning him back against the head board and she let him inside her again and attempted to do all the work, but she was already beginning to feel exhausted, ready to rest for the night so he held on to her hips and moved them for her.

"Mari," he said softly, "a wedding would be nice. Let's do it. We'll find out what we can tomorrow."

She smiled, leaning forward and tucking her head over his shoulder. "I'm so happy," she murmured.

The next morning, Mari eagerly prepared for school and ate breakfast with Yumichika and they walked to school holding hands again, hoping that this day would be much better than the day before.

"You're in a good mood," Yumichika pointed out and she gave him a baffled expression.

"How can I not be, after last night?" She gazed at him, feeling relieved when he had a look of recollection.

"Oh I could tell you were enjoying it more than usual. Usually you aren't so enthusiastic."

Mari's feeling of relief instantly was replaced with a feeling of dismay. Of course she had enjoyed the sex more than usual; it was because they were talking about marriage and that was the reason she was so happy but it seemed he'd already forgotten. She gave him a fake smile, looking away. "Yeah."

The rest of the walk to school was silent and Mari gazed at her feet the whole way until they arrived at class, where Yumichika took his seat and Mari took hers. Emiko sat down in front of her, giving her a smile. "Good morning!"

"Good morning," Mari replied unenthusiastically.

Emiko cocked her head to one side, examining Mari curiously. "Are you okay?"

Mari forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night." Mari's mood only worsened when Misaki arrived, taking the seat beside her and she glanced back at Yumichika behind her before saying something quietly to him and he responded with a smile and he said something back to her. Mari looked away, feeling jealous, although she hardly ever felt any form of jealousy for Yumichika because she always knew she could trust him yet she didn't like that he was speaking so casually with Misaki.

Emiko interrupted Mari's thoughts by tapping her shoulder. "Are you listening, Mari?"

"Oh, sorry," Mari sheepishly chuckled, "I sort of zoned out a bit. What were you saying?"

Emiko playfully rolled her eyes before giving Mari a smile. "Do you still want to study today after school? We can go to my house again."

Mari nodded. "Sure," she answered with a smile.

It was finally after school. Misaki hadn't spoken to Mari but she did turn to talk to Yumichika a couple of times, which angered Mari just as much as it would have if Misaki had spoken to Mari instead. Yumichika hadn't spoken to Mari much either but Mari was still happy that she would keep him to herself after school. She held his hand tightly, a smile on her face as they met Emiko at the gate when suddenly Yumichika's cell phone began beeping and he took it out of his pocket.

"I have to take this, give me a second," he told them before taking a few steps out of earshot and Mari pouted, crossing her arms.

"Who's calling him?" she muttered, half to herself, "No one is that important to take a call from while he's with friends. There's only one person besides me."

After a few silent moments, he returned, giving Mari a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. Akio wants to meet me somewhere. You know he's been working hard since we got here."

Mari pouted. "But what about me? We're supposed to study today."

Yumichika kissed her forehead before brushing past her. "This is important. Besides, I see you every day, right? I'll see you at home."

Mari crossed her arms again, glaring at him as he walked away. "Whatever. I can catch up in my classes without him."

Emiko smiled as they began walking. "So how was your day today? Did Misaki give you any more trouble?"

Mari shook her head. "No, not really. I feel like she's trying to get to Yumichika though. If I know Yumichika, though, he won't leave me for her. I know he loves me." Once she felt reassured, she smiled again. "So what about you? How was your day?"

Emiko shrugged. "Same old, same old. I focus more on my studies than I do on other people, if you want to know the truth. I'm just the kind of person who prefers solitude."

"Does it bother you to help me study?" Mari asked, "I don't want to bother you."

Emiko shook her head. "Oh no, no. Don't worry, I don't mind at all. Actually my mom has been pressuring me to make some friends so you came along at a good time."

Mari smiled, looking away. "Friends?" She paused before nodding. "I'm glad. I've only ever had one friend before, besides for Yumichika."

Emiko frowned. "Really? Why's that? Is it because you were homeschooled?"

Mari thought for a moment, almost ready to blurt out all her secrets but instead she nodded. "Y-yeah... that's why."

The rest of the walk was mostly silent and Mari gazed around Emiko's house. "You can look around if you want," Emiko told her, "I know last time you didn't get a chance to and I need to clean up my room. My parents aren't here."

"Where are your parents?" Mari asked curiously, gazing at all the framed photos above the fireplace and on a shelf.

"They're away for business," Emiko answered as she entered her room.

Mari paused at a photo of a man and a woman that she had never seen before and couldn't help but take it off the shelf. The woman was wearing a beautiful long white dress and the man was wearing a tuxedo. "Emiko? What's this picture?"

Emiko returned to Mari's side before smiling. "Oh, that's my parents' wedding photo from when they were young. Isn't it nice?"

Mari smiled, her heart warming. Although they were obviously posing for the camera and the way they held each other was childish and awkward, she could see the elated expressions on their faces; they were so happy to be getting married. She bounced on her toes, holding the image to her chest. "I want to get married."

Emiko cocked her head to one side. "Why don't you?"

Mari's gaze fell to the floor and she sighed. "I don't think Yumichika wants to. I brought it up to him last night and he seemed into the idea but he already forgot."

Emiko pouted, giving her a sympathetic expression. "It's okay. Maybe you just surprised him. He seems like he really loves you so I think he'll come around to the idea eventually."

Mari smiled again, returning the photo to its place on the shelf and she gazed at it a moment longer. "I hope so."


	17. Chapter 17

After studying, Mari still wasn't sure exactly what she was doing yet it seemed Emiko was back tracking her instructions the more she saw Mari getting puzzled. Mari said goodbye at around dinner time and she walked home alone, tracing her steps from the day before with Yumichika and she had her gaze on her feet the entire time until she opened the apartment door. Her mood lifted upon seeing Yumichika sitting at the table across from Akio and she grinned, giving him a firm hug as a greeting. "Akio! I'm so glad to see you!"

Akio chuckled. "I'm happy to see you too, Mari, but it's only been a couple of days."

"Akio," Mari pouted, burying her face into his shoulder, "I don't like school. Do I have to go?"

"Yeah," he answered, "It's a law here."

She sat down beside him, gazing at her lap. "The stuff they're _teaching_ us is so complicated and strange. The only good thing about school is that I made a friend."

Akio chuckled again, shaking his head. "It's only because you're so used to getting attention. Here you aren't the Suzuki princess, you're just a regular girl."

Mari pouted again. "I don't like this whole regular girl thing. Why can't I be a princess here too?"

Akio patted her head. "Don't worry. Once you get caught up, it'll get easier and you'll get used to it. You'll be fine. Anyway, everyone back home is on the lookout for Haruki. He hasn't been found yet, though. We can return once they find him."

Mari looked away. "Why do I have to be in this stupid gigai, though?"

"It hides us to be in the gigai. If we weren't in them, it would be easy for Haruki to find us. Just hang in there, Mari. You'll be okay."

Mari scratched her arm, turning to Yumichika. "What about you? You haven't been studying at all."

Yumichika shrugged. "I will. It's not a big deal."

Mari looked away. "Okay, but... you know, Yumichika, I saw Emiko's parents' wedding photo today." She gave him a hopeful smile. "It was really cute. You should have seen it."

He gave her a smile. "Mari, come over here. Come sit by me." Mari crawled over to his side and he took her hand, gazing at her lovingly. "Do you still want to get married?"

Mari gasped and a smile grew on her lips as she took in his words and she nodded. "Of course I do!" He reached into his pocket and withdrew the brightest, most beautiful ring she'd ever seen and he put it in her hand. "What's this for?" she asked, examining it.

"Here, in the world of the living," he told her, taking the ring in his hand and sliding it on to her finger, "it's a part of the engagement to exchange rings. I'll put it on your left hand now and then at the wedding, I switch it to your right hand so the wedding ring can go on your left hand. Do you know why?" Mari gazed at him in confusion and he smiled, flipping her left hand and poking the finger beside her pinky. "This is the only finger out of all of them with a vein that runs directly to the heart."

Mari gazed at it for a moment before grinning. "That's so cute!" Then her smile faded and she lifted her gaze to him. "Exchange rings? I don't have a ring to give you!"

"That's okay," he smiled, taking out another ring from his pocket and putting it on, "I know you don't have any money on you right now but it's okay. This will work just the same."

Mari sat up and kissed his lips, disregarding the fact that Akio was still in the room and she sat down again, putting her hands together. "Did you figure out what weddings here are like?"

Yumichika shrugged. "A little. We'll figure it out though."

After a few moments of silence as Mari gazed at the ring with happiness, Akio got to his feet. "I should go now."

Mari jumped to her feet, grasping his sleeve. "Stay for dinner," she pleaded, tugging at his sleeve and he scratched his head.

"Okay, I guess."

After dinner, Akio left and Mari took a bath, unable to take her eyes off of the ring and the way it sparkled while it was wet; just looking at it warmed her to her core. She finished her bath and put on some pajamas before joining Yumichika in bed and she hugged him tightly, lying down beside him. "I'm so happy, Yumichika."

He smiled, stroking her hair before kissing the top of her head. "I'm happy as long as you're happy."

She squeezed her eyes closed, unable to fight off the grin on her face. "I'm so happy I have you. At least I know that even if everything falls apart, I'll still have you to turn to." She clenched his shirt tightly in her hands. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he murmured, touching her cheek and kissing her forehead, "Goodnight, Mari."

"Goodnight."

The next week seemed to drag on, as Mari did nothing but try and catch up on her studies with Emiko, but her efforts seemed futile as everything Emiko attempted to teach Mari was out of Mari's reach. They were beginning to plan the wedding, with Emiko's help, thankfully, and Mari was beginning to figure out all the things they would do at the ceremony. On top of that, Misaki didn't seem to be bothering Mari anymore.

That night after studying with Emiko, she brought Emiko to her house instead that day and she was preparing dinner when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Mari sang and the door opened, Yumichika peering in.

"Oh, I didn't know we had a guest," he greeted before stepping in, "I brought one too."

Mari grinned upon seeing Akio. "I'm so glad you're here! Sit down, dinner's almost ready. Oh!" She hopped over to Emiko, who was already sitting at the table. "This is Emiko. Emiko, that's Akio; he's a good friend of mine." They greeted each other as Mari returned to cooking and she finished up before setting the table and she sat beside Yumichika.

"So," Akio said once they began eating, "how's the wedding planning going?"

"Great," Mari grinned, "Tomorrow Emiko and I are gonna go dress shopping for the both of us. We made a reservation at this place too for the wedding. We're trying to make it happen as soon as possible because we don't know when we're gonna have to leave."

Akio smiled. "That's nice. Am I invited?"

Mari chuckled, giving him a playful glare. "Of course not. Why would I invite you?" She giggled at his reaction. "Just kidding. We're only inviting you and Emiko. Right, Yumichika?"

"Yeah," he answered.

Mari smiled, putting her hands together. "I'm so excited. I know it won't change anything back home but it will make me happy."

"Um," Emiko chimed in, "just out of curiosity... where is your home?"

Mari held up a finger before feeling dumbfounded; she didn't know anything about the world of the living so she couldn't give a fake answer but Akio chuckled across the table. "We're from the states."

Emiko gasped. "Really? That's so cool! But you guys are Japanese, right? I mean you have Japanese names and you look Japanese."

"Yeah," Akio told her, "We were born in Japan but we're from America. See since the legal wedding here isn't valid over there they won't be legally considered married over there."

"Why don't you just get married over there too?" Emiko asked.

"Mari's family won't allow it," Yumichika answered this time, "They wanted her to marry someone else and that turned out to be a huge mistake like I knew it would in the beginning."

Mari chuckled, elbowing him playfully. "You only didn't like the idea because you were jealous, not because you had a bad feeling about him."

Yumichika shrugged. "Either way I was right when I said I didn't want you to marry him."

"So," Emiko asked, "why did you guys come all the way to Japan?"

Mari and Yumichika both turned to Akio who chuckled sheepishly. "We just wanted to take a trip out here to see what it's like."

"Oh," Emiko smiled, "well I've always wanted to visit the states. Maybe one day when I finish school I can come see you guys."

Akio chuckled again. "Yeah, but, um... you shouldn't get your hopes up because we don't know where we're going next. So... uh, we'll let you know."

Mari got to her feet and began collecting the empty dishes, taking them to the kitchen before returning to the seat beside Yumichika. "The wedding is in two weeks."

"I hope this doesn't sound rude," Emiko said, "but isn't that a little soon?"

Mari shook her head. "No because we're gonna have to go back home soon and we don't know when that's going to happen so we're trying to make it happen as soon as possible." Mari put her hands together. "And I'm also really excited for it. I've been waiting for this for forever."

Emiko smiled again. "That's nice."

"Should I get you guys a present?" Akio asked and Mari chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, I don't want any presents," she told him, "I think it's _present_ enough for us to get married."

Akio smiled. "Then I'm not getting _you_ a present, Mari." He eyed Yumichika for a moment before looking away but Mari ignored it, crossing her arms.

"Anyway," Mari went on, "it's not going to be overly fancy or anything since we aren't really trying to impress anyone and I know it won't count when we go home so I don't want to spend too much money." Under the table, she took Yumichika's hand. "I know it doesn't mean anything back home but it'll always mean something to me. Right, Yumichika?"

He gave her a smile and a nod and Emiko got to her feet. "Sorry for interrupting but it's getting late. I think I should get home."

"It's dark out," Mari said, getting to her feet as well, "Let me walk with you."

"Wait," Akio chimed in, "Mari, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be walking around in the dark, even if you're with another girl. I'll take her home and then I'll be right back."

"Okay," Mari responded slowly, returning to her seat, "is that okay with you, Emiko?"

Emiko nodded. "That's fine, as long as I get home."

Mari smiled. "Goodnight, Emiko."

Emiko nodded again. "Goodnight."

Akio walked her to the door and held it open for her before closing it behind him, leaving Mari and Yumichika alone. Mari rested her head on Yumichika's shoulder. "I'm happy but this whole school thing is killing it."

Yumichika chuckled, lifting his arm and tangling his fingers into her hair. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon." There was a silent pause as he stroked her hair and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to take in his scent and the feel of his hand on her head; everything was perfect. "Mari... let's go lie down."

Mari nodded and got to her feet, leading the way to their room and she stood back, letting him lie down first before crawling up on top of him and tucking her head under his shirt until she was lying on his bare chest. "I don't like school."

He chuckled and she felt him put his hand over her head. "Don't worry, Mari. It's a very bad thing here to drop out of high school but if it gets too bad, you can drop out."

Mari smiled, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "I'll try to get on top of things but... I don't see how you're on top of your schoolwork when I haven't seen you do any of it."

"I'm fine," he told her, "Just worry about your own schoolwork." Mari lifted her chin, eyeing his necklace that had fallen into his shirt and she crawled up a bit and took it between her teeth. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

Mari rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Nothing," she giggled through her teeth closed around the necklace. He lifted up his shirt and tugged at her hair and she giggled again. "You think that's going to get me off of you?"

He sighed. "Mari, I didn't want to have to do this but you're forcing me." He tucked his hands underneath her shirt and tickled her bare waist and she had a laughing fit, nearly falling off of the bed and she would have, if Yumichika hadn't caught her. He pulled her to his side, pulling down his shirt and holding her close to him.

"Yumichika," Mari sighed, "why can't I just climb in your clothes when we go to school? No one will know we're two different people that way."

Yumichika chuckled. "Life doesn't work that way, Mari."

She rested her head on his chest, taking a deep breath. "I wish it did work that way." They lay beside each other, holding each other tightly as Yumichika stroked Mari's hair comfortingly, in silence and enjoying every minute of it. Mari closed her eyes, smiling to herself as her heart pounded in her chest, although it wasn't the first time she'd lain with him, it still made her heart race as if it were the first. She could feel her stomach tingling as if she were falling in love with him all over again and it was highly possible; she could fall in love with him every day for the rest of her life and she would never get tired of it. She wrapped her knees around one of his and she rubbed her socked foot against his, inhaling deeply and holding her breath as if savoring the way he smelled and the way he felt holding her like this. It was perfect; he was the epitome of perfection. He was beautiful; the way he smiled and the way his eyes sparkled and the way he laughed and the way he talked and the things he said and the way he walked and that sweet scent that he somehow always had on him, whether he was in a gigai or not, and the way his lips felt against hers and the way he touched her and how he always did it just right. She wasn't sure if he even had any flaws but recalling when he'd called her pathetic, she couldn't help but wonder if he really did feel the same way or if he had only said that he did to make her feel better.

Mari's heart sank at the thought of loving him more than he loved her and she opened her eyes, lifting her gaze to him to see that his eyes were closed but his lips were pinched up into a small smile and the genuine happiness on his face showed clear as day. Feeling reassured again, she closed her eyes and smiled again, the butterflies in her stomach going mad. She wasn't sure how long they lay together but when Akio arrived, she still felt disappointed to have to get up again. She climbed to her feet and led Yumichika back into the living room, where they sat at the table again with Akio.

Akio sighed as he sat down. "Nobody knows where we are except for the head captain and central 46," he told them, "Mari, your family has gone frantic searching for you; they think the same thing that happened to your father and your sister has happened to you but they haven't given up hope that you'll reappear like you did before. Yumichika, your captain has been alerted but he isn't allowed to tell anybody so the other people in your squad might be confused about your disappearance."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Why don't they at least tell my family? It's not like word's gonna get out if just they know."

Akio scratched his chin. "See that's the thing. Nobody really knows who Haruki is. Even captain Kuchiki said he was suspicious of Haruki. Haruki was born a Kuchiki but then he went off by himself one day and he vanished and came back and he was like a completely different person. Captain Kuchiki said that the Haruki from before was always quiet and shy and well-mannered but then when he came back he always said what he was thinking to the point where he was rude to people and he was self-centered and nobody wanted to be around him. Then all of the sudden, he had this request to marry you. We have the suspicion that Haruki Kuchiki isn't really Haruki Kuchiki. We're not quite sure yet but your family may have been under some kind of spell because of the way they supported Haruki so much so we can't take any chances with alerting them. Of course, there's also no way for Haruki to leave the soul society without anyone knowing but we can't underestimate him. He has strange powers indeed."

Mari frowned, tapping her chin. "They don't have a single idea where he could have gone? Not a clue? That sort of worries me."

"Don't be worried," Akio crossed his arms, "I guess you could consider this a vacation. Keep your mind off of things."

Mari laughed sarcastically. "A _vacation_? You're joking, right? With the schoolwork piled on me and all the mean people at school?"

Yumichika tapped Mari's head. "Mari, don't worry. No one dislikes you at school. In fact, a lot of the people I talked to said you were very pretty."

Mari glared at him. "Who said that? Was it _Misaki?_"

Yumichika rolled his eyes. "I don't know where you got the idea that she's a bad person, Mari, but she's really not."

Mari crossed her arms, looking away. "Yeah? And what did you say when they called me pretty?"

Yumichika gave her a smile. "If it was a girl, I thanked them for you and told them that I appreciate your beauty a lot more than they do."

"And if it was a boy?"

Yumichika's smile didn't fade. "I told them that if they called you pretty again, they risk losing a limb but that I appreciate the compliment."

Mari lifted her gaze to him. "_You_ appreciate the compliment?"

"Yeah. I told them that you're mine so you're not allowed to appreciate the compliments that boys give you."

Mari chuckled. "Not allowed? As if, you don't own me."

Yumichika wrapped an arm around Mari's head, pulling her to his shoulder. "I don't own you, that's true, but I don't want to lose you."

He kissed her forehead and she blushed, smiling. "Those stupid boys could never lose to you, Yumichika."


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning, Mari felt confident, knowing that instead of schoolwork today, she and Emiko would be going dress shopping and that took a load off Mari's shoulders; she needed a break. She got to her feet, getting ready before eating breakfast with Yumichika and then they walked to school together. Upon arriving, they realized they were a few minutes late and there was a substitute teacher; a tall man with shaggy black shoulder length hair and tired-looking sad gray eyes and on the board, 'Mr. Oshiro' was written in big letters.

"Let me guess," he said when they entered, "Mari Suzuki?"

Mari stepped towards him, nodding, as Yumichika went to his seat. "Yes, uh... do you need something?"

He smiled, tapping the desk with a pen. "Yeah, your teacher left a note here. He says he wants you to take a preliminary test before you start doing all the things the other kids in the class are doing. He's not sure where you stand academically so if you do well, he'll count it as a grade to make up for all the tests you've missed so far." Mari gazed at him, her brow furrowed and he chuckled, lifting the paper on the desk into his hand and gazing at it. "It's written that you tend to arrive a couple of minutes late to class in the morning, and you show up with a black haired boy. That's how I knew who you were, if that's why you're looking at me like that."

Mari shook her head. "No, I'm looking at you like this because surely it says Yumichika's name on there too. We both signed up together."

Mister Oshiro shook his head, gazing at the paper. "Oh, yes it does say Mister Ayasegawa's name on here. It says he's doing fine and should be caught up with the rest of the class in a matter of days. He's already doing the daily homework assignments."

Mari pouted, glaring at Yumichika, who gave her a sheepish smile and she looked away. "Fine," she sighed, "When am I taking it?"

Mister Oshiro scrambled through all the papers in front of him, making a mess of them before handing her a thick packet. "You take it now. It should take you until the end of the day and then after school you bring it to me and I'll leave it here for your teacher to grade." He smiled at her distressed expression as she held the packet, gazing at it in utter disgust. "You can have one of the seats in the back. You're not allowed to talk to anybody while you're taking the test but you may take a lunch break with your friends; however you have to leave the test on your desk."

Mari frowned as she slowly walked to the back of the room. "This is like a punishment," she muttered to herself just before Emiko tugged at her sleeve from her seat and she gave her a smile.

"You'll do fine," she whispered to her and Mari forced a smile before going to the seat in the furthest back, isolated from the rest of the class as she began to take her test.

The end of the day finally came and Mari was just finishing up her test just as the class cleared out of the room and she was feverishly rushing to complete it, imagining dress shopping with Emiko for her own wedding. Emiko had let her know at lunch time that she'd be waiting for her by the gate, since it shouldn't take long. It had only been a couple of minutes since she left the classroom and left Mari alone, aside from the teacher, and she jumped to her feet upon finishing the last question.

"Finally done!" she announced before hurrying to the front of the class and presenting it to Mister Oshiro. She stood there with a puzzled expression on her face as he flipped through the pages of the test. "Um, I thought the teacher was supposed to grade it."

Mister Oshiro smiled, shaking his head. "Oh, no, no. This won't do. You did a very bad job, Mari."

Mari gasped. "Are you kidding me? I did that bad? There's no way! All the stuff on that test was the stuff Emiko taught me so I knew it! Most of it, at least."

Mister Oshiro shook his head again, gesturing for her to come behind the desk to see the paper and he pointed at it. "That one's wrong. So is that one. You were supposed to subtract the five on both sides. Who is Emiko? Good thing this Emiko person doesn't have a teaching license because they're a terrible teacher."

Mari pouted, crossing her arms. "Does the note say what happens if I don't do well?"

Mister Oshiro removed the reading glasses from his face, shaking his head. "No, but I'm assuming he'll bump you back a grade or two. Maybe he'll make you drop out of high school completely."

Mari frowned, looking away. "Maybe I'd like to drop out of high school instead of doing all of this stuff. It's pointless. It's not going to affect my life anyway." She leaned against the desk and Mister Oshiro got to his feet, organizing the papers.

"Yes," he said slowly before stepping in front of her, close enough so that she felt his breath on her face, "I've been wondering why the Suzuki princess was going through the trouble of being in a regular world of the living high school."

Mari's eyes widened as she gazed at him; upon closer inspection, she realized his eyes weren't gray. They were black but the bright lights of the classroom made them look gray. She recognized those black eyes. "H-Haruki?" she gasped and prepared to jump back but he grasped her hips, holding her between his legs as he buried his lips and nose into her hair on the top of her head.

"Oh, Mari," he moaned, "that sweet smell of your hair is still there, even in your gigai." He lifted a hand, running his fingers through her hair and bringing it to his nose. "I bet Yumichika likes it too." Mari's anger peaked at the mention of Yumichika and she pushed him away, pulling back on to the desk but he pinned her down before she could escape. "Just look at you, Mari. You're so ridiculous." He lifted her legs up on to his hips as he climbed on to the desk, tucking his knees under hers and he pulled apart the buttons on her uniform sweater and tossed it aside, pulling open the white button down top underneath. He kissed her chest and she winced, attempting to pull away from him to no avail. He reached his hands into her skirt and grasped her panties, beginning to pull them off.

No. Mari didn't want this to happen to her again and she couldn't just stand around and wait for someone to save her; she was the only one in the room with this monster. Only she could do the job. She could kill him here and end it once and for all, she thought to herself as she manifested her zanpakuto in sword form, lifting the sheathed sword to his neck and holding it there firmly. "Get your filthy hands off of me." In his hesitation, she kicked off of his stomach, feeling her panties slip off in his hands as she pushed back and landed on her feet, unsheathing her sword and aiming it towards him.

Haruki threw his head back in laughter before manifesting a sword of his own. "You're probably thinking 'I can just kill him and end it here' aren't you? You stupid little girl. I thought I told you before that there's no way someone as unskilled as you could ever reach where I am. Do you want to know where I am?" Mari clenched her jaw as she gazed at him, holding her sword firmly in one hand and her scabbard in the other. "I've exceeded a captain's level in power. If I wanted to, I could return to the soul society and devour them all with my power. I could take over the soul society. No one can surpass me. Certainly not a spoiled little brat who thinks too highly of herself."

"Why shouldn't I think highly of myself?" she spat, "I'm a princess who lives to serve my clan. You, on the other hand, live to torture me for absolutely no reason." She smirked, cocking her head to one side. "In a way you could say that you live just for me."

That visibly angered Haruki and before Mari could even blink, he was standing in front of her, the tip of his sword just barely skimming her throat and she gasped, taking a step back. "Don't ever say something so repulsive. I can't stand the likes of you. That's why you must die."

Mari could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she jumped back before pushing past all the desks and into the hallway, slipping as she quickly regained herself and dashed down the hallway. Her head throbbed and her vision was blurry with fear yet she didn't dare look back because she couldn't even see what was in front of her. Suddenly she ran into someone and she fell roughly to the floor, feeling the wind being knocked out of her and she panted to catch her breath, lying there and gazing up at the ceiling.

"Mari," a familiar voice gasped, "what happened to you?"

When Mari's head and vision cleared, she realized the blurry figure in her sights was Emiko and she sat up, letting Emiko kneel down beside her and button up her top. "Emiko, quick, let's get out of here. We have to go now." Mari glanced back to see the empty halls, which only quickened her heartbeat. "We have to go. We have to go now. He's coming. He's gonna kill us both."

Emiko visibly appeared to be afraid and she gazed at Mari with wide eyes. "Who? Mari, tell me."

Mari grasped Emiko's wrist and she jumped to her feet, pulling Emiko outside and gazing around. "We can't talk about it here. Let's hurry up and go to your house."

"Wait, Mari," Emiko tugged Mari back by her wrist, "my mom came to pick me and you up." She led Mari to a little black car waiting in the parking lot and Mari climbed in beside Emiko.

"Hello, Mari," Emiko's mother greeted kindly, "It's good to finally meet you. Emiko has told me so much about you."

Mari forced a smile, feeling incapable of giving her a real one. "It's good to meet you too, Misses Yukimura."

Misses Yukimura smiled at Mari in the mirror as she began driving. "So are we going to the dress shop?"

Mari shook her head. "Let's reschedule that for tomorrow. I'm not in much of a shopping mood to be honest."

Emiko clenched Mari's hand, giving her a worried look. "You were so excited for this at lunch, though, Mari. What happened?"

Mari shook her head. "I'll... I'll explain it to you later. Let's just... go back to your house."

The drive to Emiko's house was silent and upon arrival, Emiko rushed Mari to her room before closing the door. "What happened?"

Mari looked away. "Well... the thing is, I doubt you'd believe me, but... the substitute teacher is after me. He's been after me. That's why I moved here. He was in disguise all day and I didn't recognize him until after school. Last time I saw him before today, he told me that he'd kill me and Yumichika and Akio the next time he saw us. And he..." she smoothed her skirt down, looking at her feet as she blushed, "he... he tried to rape me. I didn't let him though."

"Oh," Emiko answered, "is that why you had that sword?" Mari's head jerked up to face her. "I was confused because it vanished right in your hand. I had a feeling, Mari. I thought it was strange that you didn't know anything about the stuff we were learning. Even if you didn't live in Japan, surely all over the world in every first world country, they would know that stuff." Mari gazed at her with wide eyes and Emiko only smiled. "I don't know where you're from, Mari, and I don't know how much help I can be but I'll do anything I can to help."

Once the thought settled in with Mari, she looked away, blushing. "Then, um... do you think you could lend me some panties? That jerk snatched mine."

Emiko chuckled before opening her drawer and Mari could hear her tearing plastic before she handed her a pair of plain pink panties. "These are brand new. You can just keep them."

Mari smiled. "Thanks a lot, Emiko. Sorry for that."

Emiko looked away, letting Mari slip them on and Mari sat down on Emiko's bed as Emiko set her bag on her desk, opening it up and taking out her homework. "We can still go dress shopping if you want, Mari."

Mari twiddled her thumbs. "I don't know. I sort of want to wait until tomorrow. I feel dirty. That guy has... he's done a lot to me in the past and it feels like he did most of the things that he did just to tear Yumichika and I apart. I want to talk to Yumichika about it first but at the same time I don't want to see him because I just... feel too dirty."

"You can stay here as long as you'd like," Emiko answered, although she seemed focused on her homework.

Mari smiled. "Are you sure I'm not intruding?"

Emiko shook her head. "No, of course not. Don't worry about it."

Mari gazed around the room, looking at all of Emiko's things. It seemed like her family was doing very well financially, the way she had photos of her and her parents in a number of different places. Her closet was also full of clothes and her room was quite large as well. Mari's eyes fell upon an easel in the corner of the room with a stack of face-down canvas beside it. "Hey, Emiko," Mari spoke up, "do you paint?"

This time Emiko gazed at Mari before nodding. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

Mari smiled. "I was just curious because I saw the easel. Hey, do you mind if I look at some of your paintings?"

Emiko blushed. "Well, actually, I've never showed them to anyone but my mother before but... I guess it couldn't hurt."

Mari got to her feet, approaching the easel near Emiko's desk and she lifted the canvas on the top of the stack. It was a painting of a beautifully designed woman who appeared to be bending water and the entire painting was in different shades of blue; it was one of the most beautiful paintings Mari had ever seen. "Emiko... this is gorgeous. Why don't you have it put in a museum or something?"

When Mari turned to look at Emiko, she noticed that Emiko's face was even redder than before. "Thank you very much. I didn't think they were that good."

Mari smiled as she began looking through the rest of them. "These are fantastic. You could become a millionaire off of your skills, Emiko."

Emiko giggled. "You're exaggerating."

Mari shook her head. "I'm not. Really. I would buy one for one hundred million yen if I had that much."

Emiko laughed. "You're crazy then. Thank you, though."

After Mari finished looking through Emiko's paintings, she sat down on the floor, gazing at Emiko until she finished her homework and once she did, Mari got to her feet. "Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" Emiko asked as she put her things into her school bag and she set it aside.

Mari tapped her chin. "Uh... I don't know. What's something fun to do in the world of the living?" She froze when she realized what she said, gazing at Emiko's puzzled face. "Um... um... I mean what's something fun to do around here?"

Emiko smiled. "Well we could go to the movies. There's this movie playing and I've wanted to see it."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "Movies?"

"You didn't have movies where you came from?" Emiko asked and Mari shook her head. "Well," Emiko answered, "it's like a moving picture. It can be funny, scary, sad, romantic, etcetera. You'll see when we go there. It'll be fun."

Mari smiled. "Okay, let's go."


	19. Chapter 19

Mari and Emiko went to go see the movie and when they returned, Mari still didn't feel prepared to see Yumichika although, checking her cell phone, he appeared to have called her a number of times, seeing as it was getting late. She settled for sending him a message saying she'd be spending the night with Emiko, only after getting permission from Emiko and her parents of course. So Mari spent the night with Emiko, praying that there wouldn't be another 'substitute' teacher.

The next morning, Mari and Emiko got ready together before having breakfast with Emiko's parents and then going off to school walking. They arrived on time for once and Mari took her seat behind Emiko and they giggled and talked together until the class filled and the bell rang. Mari waved at Yumichika as he went to his seat and he returned it with a smile as he passed her and she returned her gaze to the front of the room to see that the teacher still hadn't arrived yet. Mari's heart thudded in her chest as she glanced left and right, praying that it would be the actual teacher instead of Haruki but he still hadn't arrived after five minutes. Suddenly Misaki got to her feet and glanced over, giving Mari a smile before going to the front of the room, standing behind the desk.

"Hey, everyone," she called and the class quieted down, "you know what happened to that teacher who was here yesterday?" There were a number of people who unanimously asked her 'what?' and she grinned. "He went to prison. Wanna know why?" Of course, everyone was curious. "He had sex with a student yesterday after school, right here on this very desk." She pointed at the desk and Mari could feel herself physically relaxing, but emotionally she went numb; she knew what was coming next. "That student was Mari. Mari Suzuki. Don't believe me? I have proof." She opened up one of the drawers and pulled out the panties Mari had worn the day before, broadcasting them to the class. "These are Mari's. I also have pictures of her wearing them. Yoshi, would you do me the honor of passing them out?"

Mari gazed at Misaki expressionlessly as the class roared in laughter and gasps, staring at Mari and Mari could feel Yumichika's gaze burning into the back of her head and Emiko turned to Mari, her expression worried. Mari simply got to her feet and passed Misaki as she left the classroom. As she was passing through the doorway, she heard the tapping of shoes against the hard floor quickly as if someone was running and then she heard a loud smack. Turning, Mari was shocked to see Emiko standing in front of Misaki with her hand up and an infuriated expression on her face and a red mark on Misaki's face and the whole class fell silent. "You're a horrible person. Do you even realize what you're doing?" Emiko was yelling at her so loudly and angrily that her voice echoed in the classroom. "This is a human being you're toying with. Someone with feelings and thoughts and hopes and dreams, just like you. I've never met a human being as repulsive as you. How could you do this to someone?"

"Shut the hell up," Misaki snapped, pushing Emiko away and giving her a slap in return, "I'll do what I want. And you know what? I'll enjoy every minute of it."

Mari approached slowly, taking Emiko's hand without meeting Misaki's gaze. "Come on, Emiko. We... we have better things to do than this." She led Emiko out of the classroom and she led her outside where she began trembling as she walked towards her apartment, her hand clenching Emiko's firmly.

"Mari," Emiko murmured, "are you okay?"

Mari nodded, turning and giving Emiko a smile. "I'm fine. I should be asking you if you're okay. You're the one who got hit." Emiko gave Mari a sympathetic expression and they finally arrived at Mari and Yumichika's shared apartment and Mari sat at the table, dialing a number and bringing the phone to her ear. After a few rings, she heard an answer. "Akio," Mari greeted, although her voice was trembling immensely, "Akio. It's good to hear your voice. Can you... um... can you come over?"

"Mari? What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be in school? Did something happen?"

"I'll explain everything when you get here," she quickly said, "Just get here fast... please." She hung up the phone before gazing at the wall, listening to the noises Emiko was making in the kitchen and it wasn't long before she set a cup of tea in front of Mari and one in front of herself, taking a seat.

They sat in silence until the door finally opened and Mari simply gazed at Akio until he sat down in the empty seat beside her, gazing at her worriedly. Emiko left to prepare a cup of tea for Akio as well and Mari returned her gaze to the wall.

"Akio," Mari murmured, "did you ever wonder why Yumichika didn't leave me after I was raped by Haruki? Because I think about it all the time but I can't figure it out and I don't have the courage to ask him."

"Mari," Akio answered, "it's because he's in love with you. Isn't that obvious? You don't let someone go after something traumatic happens to them; you give them comfort."

Mari shook her head. "I don't think that's it. You see... Yumichika is the type who cares about appearances and he cares about the cleanliness of the person he's going to sleep with before he does it; of course that's only reasonable. You wouldn't want to sleep with a filthy person, right? So I understand why he slept with me at first. It was okay for him to fall in love with me. But after I was raped, I became one of those filthy people that he tries to avoid. I'm impure. I even willingly let Haruki have sex with me when we were married. How? I don't understand it. How can Yumichika touch me and kiss me and love me the way he does, knowing too well that my body is dirty?" Mari chuckled. "And to think I thought that if I kept sleeping with Yumichika, one day I would be clean. I'll never be clean. I could scrub my skin until it fell off and I would still never be clean."

Akio touched Mari's hand on the table. "Mari, is something going on? You're really worrying me right now."

Emiko set the third cup in front of Akio before returning to her seat and Mari's gaze fell to her lap. "Yumichika is never going to forgive me for what happened." She slid off the engagement ring he'd given her, setting it on the table as she felt tears well in her eyes. "I knew a wedding of any sort was too good to be true. Not with Yumichika, anyway. It's like... it's like we're destined to be ripped apart just as things start getting good." The tears fell down her cheeks. "The one guy I really love. The one guy I really want. Why did this have to happen?"

"What happened?" Akio softly asked.

Mari kept her gaze on her lap, using her free hand to wipe away her tears only to have them be replaced by new ones. "I slept with a teacher."

"No," Emiko interrupted, "that's not what happened. The teacher tried to rape her and he pulled off her panties but she got away and somehow Misaki, a classmate of ours, got a hold of her panties and she showed them to the whole class and she said that she slept with him."

Akio furrowed his brow. "That's awful. What kind of wicked witch would do that?" He wrapped his arms around Mari's shoulders, holding her against his chest. "It'll be okay, Mari. Just watch; when Yumichika comes home, you can explain what happened to him and he'll understand. You're not dirty or impure or whatever else; you're a princess and Yumichika is lucky to have you, not the other way around. He's smart enough to know that you wouldn't just cheat on him like that."

Mari shook her head. "I never deserved to be a princess. Sakiko should have become the princess. She has everything that I lack. If only she hadn't gone to the seireitei that night... things would be so different. She handles things a lot better than I do. She's also a lot prettier and smarter and funnier and people like her more because she's charming and she's sweet. Hell, I bet Yumichika would have fallen in love with her instead." She sniffled, lowering her chin a bit more. "But I think I still would have fallen in love with him. He's... he's everything I've ever dreamed of. Meanwhile, I'm much less attractive and I say and do stupid things and it takes me a long time to get things. I'm not the kind of girl people genuinely enjoy being around. I hate myself. I've always hated myself. I'm disgusting in every way. To be honest, if Haruki had told me that he would just kill me and leave you and Yumichika alone, I never would have said anything or told anyone. I would have let him kill me; he'd be putting me out of my misery. Having such big shoes to fill... I never understood why they'd give it to someone as incompetent as me. I'm literally nothing. My own parents ignored me the first fourteen years of my life. They just hired servants to feed me and cloth me and take care of me, meanwhile they spoiled Saki rotten. She was the only one who paid any attention to me, Sakiko. I always loved her, to the end. I still do. I just wish she loved me too."

There were a few silent moments as Akio held her before he murmured, "Mari... you and I see you so differently, it's almost like we're talking about two different people. You're beautiful. Even though, I'll admit, Sakiko was more physically blessed than you, you're still incredibly beautiful. And you're wrong; Saki was never good at handling things. Whenever the slightest thing went wrong, she would always come to me and cry about it. She was nowhere near as good as you are under pressure. You're so smart, Mari; I have no idea where you got the idea that you aren't. I envy you sometimes. You pick up on things quickly. Mari..." Mari felt a shock of surprise run through her upon seeing the tear slide down Akio's cheek. "Please... don't ever talk about dying or say you wish you were dead or anything of the sort. Where would I be if you were gone? I know it sounds selfish, but... I don't know if I could handle losing both you and Sakiko."

Mari was quick to lift her hands and wipe away his tears, wiping them off before they came down and she gave up when they wouldn't stop, burying her face into his chest. "Akio, don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Akio hugged her tightly. "It's okay. Just promise me you won't ever hurt yourself deliberately." When she stayed silent, he gave her a squeeze. "Promise me or I won't let you go. I'll carry you around everywhere with me until you promise." When she still stayed silent, he held her even tighter. "I'll even carry you in the bathroom with me. I'll carry you in the shower with me. If I had a girlfriend, I would carry you while I'm in bed with her."

Mari laughed, pushing off of him as she wiped her tears. "Fine, fine, don't give me any more details about the private things you do. I promise."

Akio sighed with relief. "I'll take your word for it. Hey, Mari... I hope you never feel alone because you know I'll always be with you, right? No matter what happens between you and Yumichika or you and Haruki or you and anybody in the world. I'll always be with you."

Mari smiled, gazing down at her lap. "I know. Thank you." There was a long pause and Mari found herself feeling better and when the door opened, Mari felt relieved and she jumped to her feet, rushing over to Yumichika as he slipped off his shoes. "Yumichika... about what happened today... listen, it's not what you think. I don't know how Misaki got ahold of my underwear but..."

She was interrupted when Yumichika pushed Mari aside and her shoulder hit the wall roughly and painfully and she was sure it would leave a bruise and she put her hand over it, watching as Yumichika entered the house. Akio jumped to his feet, giving Yumichika an angry glare and Yumichika simply set his bag on the table, checking the time on his cell phone. "Listen, Akio," he began, "take my gigai back to Urahara's shop. I'm going back to the soul society."

"What?" Akio gasped, "Yumichika, you can't. Haruki will kill you."

Yumichika shook his head as he turned to gaze at Akio. "What do I look like, Akio? I'm the fifth seat of squad eleven, and I can assure you that I can protect myself. The only reason I came down here to begin with is because of all that extra baggage." Mari felt as if he'd punched her in the stomach at what he'd said, calling her extra baggage. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks; she didn't care anymore about Haruki and she didn't even care that they were talking about the soul society and disregarding Emiko's presence completely.

Akio furrowed his brow. "Extra baggage? Yumichika, I'm really sorry to tell you this but you're very stupid."

Yumichika jerked his head back as if Akio had smacked him. "Oh, I'm stupid, am I? Since it's so abnormal for me to be upset that I put my own life on the line for some girl that I thought was in love with me, only to find out she's been sleeping around? That's abnormal, right?"

Akio sighed, touching his forehead. "If you believe that load of bullshit, then you're stupid. Look at Mari. You know her as well as I do, that her heart is as pure as snow. And she really does love you, and if you think otherwise, then that makes you even more stupid. I already knew squad eleven was full of a bunch of arrogant guys who think that fighting is everything so just by being in that squad, you've set the stupidity bar pretty high." Yumichika clenched his jaw, grasping a handful of Akio's collar. "Do you really think I'm scared of you, Yumichika? C'mon, in these gigai, it makes our fight a bit unfair, don't you think? I mean since I'm so much bigger than you, we should just get out of our gigai and use our swords instead."

"Sounds good to me," Yumichika spat, "I'll crush you."

"Wait," Mari interrupted and at the sound of her voice, Yumichika visibly relaxed, pulling away from Akio and he turned to face the table so that Mari couldn't see his face, "wait... listen... Yumichika, don't listen to Akio. Go back to the soul society if that's what you want. I... I still love you a lot but if you don't want to love me anymore, I don't want to force you." Mari giggled, touching her cheek. "Wow... this is really stupid of me, and I know I don't have a say in it since we're not together anymore but... I know and I think you know too that the last thing I'd want is for you to leave." Mari giggled again, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Have... have a safe trip home, Yumichika. I hope one day, you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Yumichika didn't respond and Mari released a shaky breath she'd been holding in and she hurried past the three of them to her bedroom, closing the door and locking it. She changed into pajamas, lying in bed and pulling the blanket up to her shoulders and squeezing her eyes closed and she could hear Emiko explaining what happened after school the day before from her point of view. Mari wished she could just cover her ears and make the noise and the thoughts go away but she knew she wouldn't be able to. She listened as Emiko and Akio explained to Yumichika all the reasons why Mari was innocent but she wished they would stop; although she loved Yumichika, of course, she didn't want to force him to stay if he wanted to go.

Eventually, Mari heard Akio and Emiko leave and the sun set and rose without her even sleeping a wink. A bit after the sun set, she heard Yumichika go into the bathroom and the shower starting so she put out a sleeping mat and some pajamas for him to wear before returning to the room and locking the door.

She only got out of bed just as the sun began to rise, as she felt hungry, so she peered out of the room and was relieved to see Yumichika asleep, facing away from her. She tiptoed into the kitchen to keep from waking him up but once she reached the kitchen, she turned and her heart ached just at the sight of him; she wanted to be cuddled up beside him. She tiptoed back, kneeling down beside him and pulling up the blanket from his hips to his shoulders before leaning forward and kissing his cheek out of temptation. She jerked back when his eyes fluttered open and she blushed madly. "Um... I-I was just fixing your blanket because it's a little chilly in here with the heating so low and you could catch a cold."

When Yumichika turned to face her, part of Mari was telling her to go back to the room before he could say anything but she stayed because the rest of her wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him, having not slept all night and sleeping anywhere curled up with Yumichika sounded appealing to her. He gazed at her for a few moments before sighing deeply. "Mari... I'm sorry. I've made you cry again, haven't I? I even gave you that bruise on your shoulder." Mari turned, lifting her arm to see her shoulder and was a bit surprised to see the bluish purple tint on it; she hadn't even noticed it. It was from when he pushed her against the wall. Yumichika looked away. "I make you cry a lot, don't I? Yet, here you are, still kneeling down beside me and fixing my blanket so I don't catch a cold and giving me kisses on my cheek after what I did to you. I really don't deserve you."

Mari shook her head quickly. "Don't say that. I deserve it if you make me cry. I deserve it. It's my fault you're even here. If it weren't for me, you never would have even met Haruki most likely. Yumichika... if... if you want to go back... please don't let me try to stop you. I don't want to force you to be here."

Yumichika smiled, touching her cheek before pulling her face closer, pressing his lips to hers and as they kissed, she finally got to lie down beside him, clenching two handfuls of his shirt. "I'm so happy we met, though, Mari. I think in the end, that all of this is worth getting to be with you. And if I die because of it, then so be it; I will die happy."

Mari smiled, touching her forehead to his. "I would too." They laid together in silence for a few moments before Mari giggled. "You know, in that class we have where they talk about sex, some girls were saying that a lot of women have to fake their climax because the boy they're sleeping with isn't doing something right but I thought it was strange since I've never had to fake a climax before. Not with you, anyway. I feel sorry for the women who have to fake one. You know, speaking of which..." she kissed him again before smiling, "to celebrate the fact that it's Sunday, let's have sex, right here on this mat. And then after that, we can eat some breakfast and then we can have sex on the table. And then we can cuddle on the couch and then have sex again. Once it gets dark, we should go back to our room and have sex again until I get so tired I fall asleep."

Yumichika chuckled, kissing her. "That sounds like a plan."

The next morning, Mari felt relaxed and confident and ready to face going to school again, despite what had happened the day before. Once she and he were ready, they ate breakfast and held hands, walking happily side-by-side until they got to school and Mari ignored the stares she was receiving as she took her seat and Emiko in front of her turned and gave her a smile. "You look much better today. Did you guys make up?"

Mari nodded, returning the smile. "Yeah, we did. Would dress shopping after school today be alright with you?"

"Of course it would," Emiko said happily before turning away as the bell rang.


	20. Chapter 20

It was finally after school, and Mari had managed to ignore all the amused stares and all the whispers around her of people calling her a 'slut' and a 'whore', and the thing that helped her get through the day was the fact that Yumichika wasn't mad at her anymore. Once the final bell rang, Mari, Yumichika, and Emiko walked to the nearest dress shop together.

The dress shop was in a large plaza with many other stores and Mari gaped at all the stores, peeking in through every window when she stopped at one store in particular. "Emiko, Yumichika," she gasped, "can we please go inside here? I just... I just wanna look around. Please?"

"Okay, fine," Yumichika told her, "but only for a few minutes. And you can't buy anything; we only have money to buy the dresses."

Mari threw her hands up in happiness before pushing open the door. It was a pet store. The only person already inside the store was the cashier and it seemed family owned, the way it was structured. Mari's heart raced as, upon her entrance, she was surrounded by the barking of puppies and the meowing of kittens and she began to browse through them, wishing she had enough money and space at home to buy every single one of them. She paused at each puppy and kitten and said hi to them and they either sniffed her finger or they cowered away from her or they wanted to play.

"This one's cute," she heard Emiko muse and she slunk to Emiko's side, her eyes wide as she gazed at a tiny, fluffy white kitten with large blue eyes and Mari put her hands to her face.

"It's precious."

Emiko gently stuck a finger into the cage and the kitten stretched out it's neck, giving Emiko a tiny sniff before hissing and backing away. "Aw, c'mon," Emiko giggled, moving her finger a bit, "come play with me." The kitten quickly bit her finger and Emiko removed it, holding it. "That's a rude kitten. I mean it's bite didn't hurt but still."

"Yeah," the cashier interrupted, "that one is very pretty but she's also very mean. She doesn't really like anybody. It makes it a hassle to feed her or clean her cage." As Emiko moved away, Mari inserted her finger this time and the kitten took a couple of small steps towards her, sniffing her finger before, to everyone's surprise, licking her. The cashier chuckled. "I think she likes you. That's weird; I've known that kitten since she was born and she's never liked anyone before, not even me."

Mari grinned. "Can I play with her?" The cashier nodded and approached before unlocking the kitten's cage and the kitten approached the edge, meowing at Mari and Mari giggled, gathering the kitten in her arms. The kitten climbed her shoulder, rubbing her head under Mari's chin. After a few minutes of playing with the kitten seeming to like her, Mari turned to Yumichika, who was still leaning against the doorway, with her eyes wide.

Yumichika chuckled, shaking his head. "Mari, I told you, we only have money to buy the dresses. If we buy a kitten, that's gonna limit our budget."

Mari continued gazing at him with wide eyes. "But she likes me, Yumichika. What if she never likes anybody else except for me?"

Yumichika sighed. "We'll come back another time."

"But what if the kitten's gone by then?" Mari asked, "Or what if she gets mad at me for leaving?"

Yumichika rolled his eyes at her pouting face before facing the cashier. "How much would the kitten be?"

The cashier tapped her chin. "Since the kitten only ever liked her, I'll give you a discount. She comes with all her shots and she's spayed, which at a shelter would cost you over a hundred dollars but I'll give her to you for thirty-five. The other kittens normally cost seventy-five if they're neutered or spayed. On top of that, I'll give you a discount on all of the supplies."

Mari bounced on her toes. "Let's get her, Yumichika!"

Yumichika sighed again before reaching into his pocket. "Fine, but the dress shopping is for you so that limits what dress you can get."

Mari shrugged as she snuggled the kitten, picking out what color and style of supplies she wanted, choosing all pink for everything and she let Yumichika pay as she stood back, playing with her. "I wanna name her Suki," she giggled, "I feel like the name fits her."

Emiko smiled. "That's a cute name. It does suit her."

"Uh," Yumichika turned, carrying all the bags full of supplies, "Mari, what are you gonna do with her while you're getting your dress? I doubt they'll let you bring her into the store."

Mari pouted as she thought for a moment before grinning at Yumichika, who quickly shook his head. "But Yumichika," she whined, "I don't want you to see the dress anyway. C'mon, it won't take _that_ long. If you get too impatient, you can go home."

Yumichika sighed, rolling his eyes. "I think I spoil you too much," he sighed as he moved the bag handles to his wrists and he reached towards Mari to take the kitten.

Mari grinned as she handed Suki to him. "But that's okay because I love it."

He sighed again, gathering the kitten in his arms and she was glaring at him, which he ignored until she dug her nails into his arm and he winced. "Uh... we bought a nail clipper, right?"

Mari chuckled sheepishly and the cashier interrupted, "I could give you a carrier, if you'd like."

"How much is that?" Yumichika asked and the cashier shook her head.

"You're the first ones to be interested in that kitten, since she's so vicious, so I'll give it to you for free." She retrieved one from a shelf, setting it on the table and she took the kitten, putting her inside the carrier and locking it. "It'll be good for travel or anything, even if she gets really big."

Mari gave the cashier a smile and a bow. "Thank you very much. We appreciate it."

The cashier smiled, shrugging. "Don't worry about it."

Mari led the way to the dress shop, where she stopped outside, where Yumichika would be waiting, and she gave him a kiss before following Emiko inside. She browsed through all the dresses with Emiko, first helping Emiko choose a pink one that suited her before they examined the bride's dresses. Mari marveled at all of them, but she knew she could only buy one that was inexpensive so she turned to the ones that didn't puff out at the hips. After trying on dozens of them, she finally decided on an off-white one with a bow around the waist and it laced up in the back and it flattered her body shape. They bought it before having it bagged in a black bag so that Yumichika couldn't see it and the walk home was quick and exciting. Emiko parted ways with them about halfway through and Mari asked her to take her dress and put it in her closet just in case so Yumichika wouldn't see it before they walked back to their apartment.

Mari sat on the floor beside the living room table and she released Suki from her cage, giggling as Suki climbed into her lap and stretched, yawning. "I don't think she likes the carrier," Mari pointed out before gathering Suki into her arms and taking her and all of her supplies into her and Yumichika's bedroom. She set up everything, including Suki's bed and food bowls and her litter box before letting Suki lie down in the bed and Mari left the room, closing the door.

Mari plopped down at the dinner table, waiting patiently until Yumichika set bowls of food in front of her and she smiled, beginning to eat. "Today was a good day," she mumbled with her mouth full.

Yumichika smiled. "Yesterday was even better."

Mari giggled, touching her chin. "You're right. We should have another day like that sometime."

Yumichika nodded. "You know, we have planned absences from school for one week after the wedding."

"How come?" Mari asked, sitting up.

"For our honeymoon," Yumichika answered, "we're going to an island near central America. Maybe that will help you relax a bit."

Mari smiled. "That sounds nice. I can't wait."

It was the day of the wedding and Mari was so busy running around preparing, she hadn't seen Yumichika since the early morning when they'd woken up. Emiko and Mari went to a salon to get their hair and makeup done before getting ready for the wedding, getting their dresses and accessories on. Although she knew it wouldn't affect her real life in the soul society, thinking about being able to call Yumichika her husband, even if it was just in this world, made her excitable and it made her heart race.

The ceremony seemed strange, however; she wasn't used to this kind of thing. She had Akio play as her father figure and he gave her away, walking down the aisle and the priest droned on, and Mari zoned out as he spoke. She was clenching Yumichika's hand firmly and lost herself in the way his lips moved when he said "I do", so much that she'd almost forgotten to say it herself when it was her turn. She couldn't even hear the priest anymore as Yumichika leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers and her knees went weak, grateful that he was holding her by her waist so tightly so she couldn't fall over. She could hear Akio and Emiko clapping, yet somehow she heard a third pair of hands clapping and when she opened her eyes and turned, she could see a silhouette in the doorway of the small church and Yumichika chuckled beside her.

"I didn't expect _you_ to show up, Ikkaku."

The silhouette stepped forward into the light to reveal that it was Ikkaku, with a smile on his face. "You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?"

Mari and Yumichika both turned to Akio, who chuckled. "Well, I promised Mari I wouldn't get her a present but I never promised Yumichika."

Mari smiled, putting a hand to her cheek. "This is very nice because I know it makes Yumichika happy, but how did you get in contact with Ikkaku?"

Akio shrugged. "I called his captain and told him I needed to see Ikkaku and left the rest to him."

Mari released Yumichika's hand from her firm grasp, giving him a smile. "Now that the ceremony is over," she told him, "I don't mind if you go spend some time with him. It's been a while since you've last seen him, after all."

Yumichika's gaze went from Mari to Ikkaku and back again before he returned her smile. "It has been a while," he agreed, "but wait... Ikkaku, how long are you going to be here?"

Ikkaku shrugged. "I don't _have_ to be here, so I don't know. Maybe a couple weeks."

Yumichika's smile remained on his face. "Actually, I just got married and I want to spend some time with my _wife_ so when we get back from our honeymoon, make room in your schedule for me." Mari's heart raced at his words as he gathered her into his arms, carrying her past Ikkaku towards the door. Yumichika waved as they walked out and there was a black car in the front, where he set her down in the passenger's seat, climbing into the driver's seat.

"Where did you get this car?" Mari gasped, admiring the material of the seats.

He gave her a smile. "It's a rental car," he told her, "We'll go back to our apartment for the night and then we have another week to ourselves."

Mari grinned as he slipped his hand into hers. "Just us two?"

He nodded as he began driving. "Just us two."

The conditioned air of the inside of their hotel room felt chilly against Mari's skin, slick with sweat as she tilted her head back, the only thing holding her up being Yumichika's hands on her waist. The sound of soft moans and heavy breathing filled the room and Mari was clenching Yumichika's forearms as tightly as she could, digging her nails into his skin, feeling as if her body would implode any second now and she was right. Her climax reminded her of an implosion, except instead of feeling pain, she felt pleasure and satisfaction and just before she finished her climax, she felt him finish as well. Once they were both completely finished, she leaned forward, resting her head on his sticky chest, feeling his hands slide up her back, nearly to her shoulders and back down to her waist where he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

Mari smiled to herself, wishing she never had to leave this spot in his lap with his arms around her so tightly, wishing she could just melt into him and be a part of him forever. "So," he spoke softly, as if he didn't want to break the peaceful silence that had settled in, "how _did_ your panties end up in the teacher's desk?"

Mari sat up, facing him with a pout on her face. "I _didn't_ sleep with him!"

"I know that but how did they get there?"

"He was gonna rape me but I got away from him and he got my panties," she explained, "but Yumichika, the substitute was _Haruki_! I got so side-tracked with everything that happened to us, I completely forgot to tell you."

Yumichika furrowed his brow. "Haruki? But that's not possible, if he was able to travel between the world of the living and the soul society, the soul society would know about it and would have informed Akio. And that guy had not a trace of spiritual pressure."

Mari shook her head. "Yumichika, I saw him up close. It was him. Besides, who else would disgustingly pin me down like that and try to get me undressed? He had a sword too and he didn't deny it when I called him Haruki."

Yumichika sighed. "Mari, I know you've been sheltered all your life and it's hard to say but rape is a common thing. Maybe the teacher was a pervert and maybe he had a sword just to have one; this is Japan anyway."

Mari pouted again. "You don't believe me?"

"I want to believe you," he told her, "It just seems a little far-fetched if you ask me. Maybe you've been too paranoid and you made a mistake."

Mari sighed. "I know it was him though."

He gave her a smile, touching her head and bringing it back to his chest. "Relax. Nothing's going to happen. If he comes here, we'll know and we'll have time to prepare. He would have done something to us if it was really him; he wouldn't just try to go for you right away."

Mari lightly scratched at his skin on his chest with her fingertips. "But what if it _was_ him and he does something to Akio while we're gone?"

"Don't worry about it," he told her, "If Akio finds out anything, he'll give us a call."

After the honeymoon trip was over, Mari felt relaxed and genuinely happy, keeping her engagement ring and her wedding ring on the same finger on her left hand because her engagement ring and wedding ring flattered each other. She treasured the both of them, constantly looking at them and instantly feeling happy when she did; feeling as if it showed the connection between her and Yumichika and it made her happy when she saw Yumichika wearing his ring as well, although he was the one who bought them and he wore it all the time.

On her first day back to school, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the whole 'sleeping with the teacher' scenario, which was to Mari's happiness. Even Misaki gave Mari little more than a glance.

Mari entered the classroom with a smile on her face, marking the first day she'd come to school with Yumichika without being late. The teacher lifted his gaze to her, before saying, "Suzuki, come see me." Mari glanced back as Yumichika passed her to go to his seat and she approached the man's desk. "I finished grading your test while you were gone."

Mari dropped her gaze. "I know, I know. I failed. Are you gonna kick me out of school now?"

The teacher chuckled. "Where did you get that crazy idea? I don't have the power to kick you out of school. Regardless, you passed with flying colors. Congratulations; you're all caught up."

Mari grinned before rushing over to her seat, turning to Yumichika. "I passed the test! I passed it!"

"That's great," he smiled at her, "so you're all caught up?"

Mari nodded just as she heard Emiko's voice. "Mari, you're back!" She turned to the doorway to see Emiko rushing over before pulling Mari into a firm hug. "I missed you!"

Mari giggled, returning the hug tightly. "I missed you too!"

Emiko sat down, grinning. "So how was your time off?"

"It was fantastic! We took an airplane over to that island we went to and it was really nice. We spent a lot of time on the beach and we tried so many exotic foods."

Emiko giggled. "I'm glad you had fun!" She touched her chin. "Did you ever find out how you did on the test?"

Mari smiled. "The teacher said I passed with flying colors.

Emiko smiled. "That's great! Then that means today is your first day of gym, since you're all caught up!"

Mari gazed at her puzzled before cocking her head to one side. "Gym?" Emiko nodded. "What's gym?"

Emiko chuckled sheepishly, scratching her head. "Uh... physical education?" Mari's expression didn't change. "You'll see."

"Is it hard?" Mari pouted. "Do I need to catch up in that class too? I'm so tired of doing homework and taking tests."

Emiko shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. Don't worry about it; usually it's fun."

"Then I'm glad," Mari sighed and just as she finished speaking, Misaki entered and plopped down in her seat, eyeing Mari's rings for a moment and Mari rolled her eyes, putting her hand over the rings just as the bell rang to begin class.


	21. Chapter 21

After class, Mari followed Emiko down to the locker room, Yumichika following closely behind her and Mari kept glancing back but she didn't stop until they reached the locker room door. "Yumichika, are you going to go change? You stop following me here; there are girls undressed in this room."

Yumichika blushed, looking away. "I just want to make sure you'll be okay. Have you seen the uniform yet?"

Mari nodded, handing the bottoms of the uniform to Yumichika and she lifted up the top, gazing at it. "Okay, so a t-shirt with the school's name on it; sounds reasonable." Then she handed the top to Emiko before taking the bottoms from Yumichika and she gazed at it for a moment before gazing around. "I think I dropped something."

Emiko shook her head. "No, those are the bottoms."

Mari flipped them over and over. "So where are the rest of them?"

Emiko chuckled. "That's it."

Mari lifted it up to her eye-level. "This is it? This is basically underwear. Are these supposed to be shorts? Shorts that show off your butt, right? I can't wear this."

Emiko handed Mari the t-shirt. "You'll get used to it, Mari. Don't worry about it."

Yumichika lowered Mari's hands. "Mari, no one's gonna look at you funny for wearing them; actually, people would look at you funny if you didn't wear them. You'll be fine."

Mari felt skeptical, gazing at the tiny shorts. "Well... okay. It shouldn't be a big deal since I'll just be with the girls... right?" Mari lifted her gaze to see that both of them were giving her sheepish smiles. "So... boys are going to see me... running around in basically underwear, is what you're saying..."

Yumichika put his hands on Mari's shoulders. "Mari, seriously, don't worry about it. If anyone looks at you funny, I'll get rid of them. How does that sound?"

Mari gave him a smile and Emiko sheepishly chuckled, gazing at him curiously. "Uh... what do you mean by 'get rid of them'?"

"Well," Yumichika said, disregarding Emiko's question completely as he turned away, "I'm going to get changed. I'll see you outside."

Mari followed Emiko inside of the locker rooms and she began changing beside her, swapping the school uniform for the gym uniform as Emiko quickly explained the basics of baseball; which was what they were playing. Mari left her rings inside her bag so as not to damage them or hurt anyone else with them and she put her bag in a locker before following Emiko outside, where everyone was beginning to play.

The game wasn't difficult to master; at least not the basics- of course she knew it would take her a while to figure out what all the terms meant. She played as if she knew what she was doing, thanks to Emiko's detailed explanation and once they were done, people were congratulating Mari and it was the most recognition she'd ever gotten from her class. She followed Emiko back inside the school building and into the locker rooms, where they changed back into their school uniforms, listening to Misaki's mindless chatter on the other side of the lockers.

Mari retrieved her bag from her locker, reaching her hand into it. Eventually, she was pulling out all of her books one-by-one, a look of horror on her face as she searched her empty bag but her fingers never felt the solid smoothness of the white gold or the rough bumpiness of the diamonds. Emiko knelt down beside her, sitting on the bench. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find my rings," Mari panicked as she continued searching for them, but to no avail.

Emiko began searching as well, searching through the books beside Mari on the bench and searching the floor and the empty locker where her bag had been but the rings were missing. "Were they your wedding rings?"

Mari nodded, feeling a bit short of breath and tears spilled from her eyes uncontrollably. "You saw them, right? You probably saw the wedding ring even before I did, before Yumichika gave it to me at the wedding. Where could they have gone?"

Emiko's expression showed her genuine concern and she put a hand on Mari's shoulder. "Do you think someone might have taken them? I mean the lockers don't even have locks on them, really."

"Your friend's right." Mari froze at the sound of Misaki's voice and she turned her head just a bit to see that Misaki's hand was to her cheek and surely, Mari's rings were holding Misaki's fingers, the diamonds gleaming against the sunlight through the window beside her. "It's quite possible that someone did take it."

Mari spun around to face Misaki. "Give them back. Please, give them back." Misaki appeared to be astonished and afraid at Mari's crying face but the look only lasted half a second before she eased back into her natural look of contempt she always had on. "Please, give them back. I'm begging you. Do you want me to get down on my knees? Please."

"Stop crying," Misaki snapped, "You look like a fool. These rings look better on me anyway." Mari's tears didn't falter and Misaki put a hand on her hip, glaring at Mari. "I'm not giving them back anyway. Either I'll keep them for myself or I'll sell them and make good money."

Mari clenched her hands into fists. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare." When Misaki simply smiled rather than responding, something in Mari's chest clicked and she dashed to her, knocking her down to the ground and pinning her down with her legs, putting her hands on her throat. "Give them back or I'll kill you and take them off your dead fingers."

Misaki had a shocked expression on her face, as if Mari's words were settling in but before Mari could actually kill her, Emiko pulled Mari off of Misaki, with the help of Misaki's friends, who rushed over from the other side of the lockers to help. Emiko held Mari back as Misaki's friends helped Misaki to her feet and Mari kept her hands clenched into fists. "Wow," Misaki muttered, dusting off her uniform, "so you're stupid, you're a slut who sleeps with teachers, and you're a psycho and potentially a murderer. You're building quite a rep for yourself."

"You're disgusting," Mari spat, tears spilling from her eyes, "No matter how much I despise you now, I would _never_ take something I knew was precious to you. Never. I'm not that heartless. But regardless of whether I would or wouldn't, if you take those rings, I will never forgive you, ever. I will _hate_ you for however long you'll exist in your pathetic life." Misaki looked taken aback, just for half a second. "Or you could just give the rings now and we can forget about this whole thing."

Misaki smirked, touching the rings. "You think I'm that dumb? Look at these; these are real diamonds. This is probably real gold too. How much do you think it'll sell for? I'm gonna say somewhere between eighty thousand and one hundred thousand. Where does your boyfriend get all his money from, huh, Mari? Is he a drug dealer? There's no other way a teenaged boy could be this loaded."

Mari bared her teeth. "Of course not. That's ridiculous. I come from a rich family, you idiot. The money is mostly mine."

Misaki crossed her arms. "So it was _your_ money he used to buy _your_ engagement ring? That's not proper. If I take it, then it will be an actual gift."

Mari struggled to pull away from Emiko but Misaki was already walking away and as she heard the door close, Mari fell to her knees in a sobbing mess and Emiko knelt down beside her, hugging her to console her a bit, but to no avail. They both said nothing, not until Mari heard the door crack open and Yumichika's voice call, "Mari, are you still in there? I saw everyone leave except for you and Emiko. Can I come in? Are you both dressed?"

"No," Mari responded, wiping her eyes but the tears were instantly replaced so she crawled into a stall, locking it, "Leave me alone, Yumichika."

"I'm coming in." Mari listened as his footsteps approached. "Emiko, it's alright if you go to class now. You don't want to be late." Mari listened as his footsteps got even closer until she could see his feet from underneath the stall, and he leaned against it before sliding down to the floor, sitting outside her stall. Meanwhile, Emiko's footsteps were slowly leaving as if she was reluctant to go but she knew she had to, to be in class on time and to give Mari and Yumichika time alone. "What's wrong?" he asked once the door closed.

Mari nibbled on her lip. "I'll tell you only if you promise you won't hate me."

Yumichika chuckled. "Mari, there's a very, very small amount of things you could do to make me hate you."

Mari rubbed her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop. "I lost the rings you gave me. I put them in my bag during class and when I came back they were gone. I looked everywhere; I took out all my stuff and I looked all over the floor and inside the locker. They were gone."

"Maybe someone stole them," he suggested and she nodded.

"Someone _did_ steal them," Mari confirmed, "Misaki did. She even showed me that she had the rings."

Yumichika sighed, which made Mari clench her hands into fists. "Mari, don't you think that's a little... far-fetched? Misaki seems like a nice girl."

"A nice girl?" Mari exclaimed, "Yumichika, a _nice girl_ doesn't broadcast another girl's underwear to an entire co-ed class. A whole bunch of boys saw it. Doesn't that bother you even a _little_ bit? I would think that you'd want to be the only guy to see my panties. Or was it because it was _Misaki_ who did it? You're interested in her, aren't you, Yumichika?"

"Of course not," he snapped, "It just seems far-fetched to me. Maybe she did that because she was jealous; I heard her saying she was interested in the teacher. It does bother me, but I can't do anything about it, so what's the point in fretting over it? Regardless of what they've seen, you're still mine. I'm the only one who's seen you completely undressed before."

Mari clenched her hands even tighter. "Why are you always sticking up for her? Oh, I know. It's because you're so obsessed with physical beauty and she's so much prettier than me. That's why, isn't it? If... if I had my rings right now, maybe your words wouldn't hurt me so much because I could just look at them and then I'd remember that you _do_ love me. But without them, I'm left wondering."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you weren't sure I really loved you until I gave you those rings?"

"Yeah," Mari muttered, as if it were obvious, "I was always wondering. I thought maybe you only wanted to be with me because you felt bad that a sucker like me fell in love with you and you knew that I'm too ugly to find true love with anyone else and you knew that I'm too stupid for it too and that my body is weirdly proportioned and I can't do my job right and my smile is crooked and that no one really loves me and that I couldn't even hold a sword right until you came along. You knew that my hand gets sweaty when you hold it for too long and I get uncomfortable when we sleep next to each other and you try to cuddle and sleep because I need to move around a lot. You knew that no other guy would be able to handle how annoying that is. You knew that I'm self-centered and I always put my own needs before anyone else's and that I'm gross and weak and I deserve every bad thing that happens to me." Mari pulled her knees to her chin, sniffling as she wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face into them. "I _hate_ myself. I hate myself more than you do. I hate myself more than Misaki does and more than even Haruki does. I hate myself more than anyone ever could. I deserve this and I don't deserve you. You should just go to class and leave me here to cry on my own, like I always do."

There was a long silence and, although she suggested it, Mari felt a sudden fear that he really would leave her alone when she heard shuffling on the other side of the stall and his hand laid on the floor beside her, palm up. "Mari... you... you're so wrong about yourself. You're so wrong. There's not a single girl in the soul society or in the world of the living that I would _ever_ choose over you. No matter who I'm siding with, you're the only one I love. Please, don't ever think that I don't love you. I came all the way out here, didn't I? I even stuck by you when you lost your memories and if I really didn't love you, I would have taken it as a chance and left you. Mari, you know how I can be; generally, I'm not the friendliest person but for you, I'd do anything you asked me to. I would bend over backwards if that's what you wanted me to do. You're my everything and there's no other girl as beautiful as you are. You're _so_ beautiful. You're _gorgeous,_ you're _flawless,_ you're the brightest light I've ever seen. I love the way your hands get sweaty when I hold them; I think it's cute. I don't mind it if you don't want to cuddle in bed; truth be told, it gets too hot when we do. Mari, you have _every right_ to be self-centered if you wanted to be but you rarely put your own needs first. Why else would you sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of your clan? Mari... Mari... if something was to happen to you and I lost you... I'd lose myself too. I wouldn't know what to do or where to turn. I _need_ you, Mari; I need to feel the softness of your skin before I fall asleep or to hear your voice first thing when I wake up and I need to hold your hand when I feel lazy so you can pull me to my senses and I need to see the way your eyes light up when you're happy and I need to feel the way your soft lips feel on my neck when we make love. I need you, Mari. I do."

Mari gazed at the floor tiles below her feet, her eyes wide with shock as she let his words settle into her brain and her heart. Once the butterflies in her stomach were trying to bang their way out, she got to her knees and moved to the stall lock, unlocking it and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing his lips and he sat up, pulling her against him as he kissed her hard. They sat together on the floor, holding each other tightly and kissing each other hard until the late bell sounded and they finally got to their feet, holding hands so tightly their knuckles were white and Mari gathered her things before letting him lead the way to class. The teacher excused them for being late, thanks to Emiko letting him know ahead of time and since he trusted her, it was okay.

After school, Mari, Emiko, and Yumichika all returned to Mari and Yumichika's apartment in a hurry, due to Mari's rushing them home and as soon as she arrived, she sprinted to her bedroom and opened the door, cuddling Suki in her arms and holding her tightly. "Thanks for waiting patiently, my love," Mari gushed and she heard Yumichika sigh behind her at the door and Emiko was giggling.

"I'm losing to a cat," Yumichika sighed and Emiko's giggling escalated to laughter.

Mari smiled at him. "Talk to me when you get fluffy white fur like Suki."

Yumichika sighed again and turned towards the kitchen and Emiko leaned against the doorway, beside where Yumichika had been and Mari got to her feet, still carrying Suki towards the table where she sat beside Emiko. Mari set Suki on the table and Suki sniffed around a bit before sitting down on the edge, facing Mari and stretching her neck to sniff Mari's nose, leaving Mari giggling as she stroked her fur with the palm of her hand.

"She's really taken a liking to you," Emiko pointed out, gazing at Mari and Suki bonding with a smile.

Mari grinned. "Yeah. I was worried she'd be mad or she'd forget about me on my honeymoon but she didn't."

"That's good," Emiko giggled as she pet Suki's head, which went unnoticed as Suki was too busy staring at Mari in awe.

Mari and Emiko played with Suki together until Yumichika began setting the table. "Take the cat back into the room," he told her, "or else we'll be eating fur."

Mari gingerly lifted Suki and took her to the room, closing the door and she returned and sat down between Emiko and Yumichika, beginning to eat and she ate quickly, feeling hungry. "So, um," Emiko slowly murmured, "did you confront Misaki about the rings again?"

Mari shook her head. "Not yet. Tomorrow I will."

"_With_ me," Yumichika muttered, "I need to make sure you don't get yourself expelled."

Mari pouted at him. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?

Emiko sheepishly chuckled beside her. "Well, uh... you _did_ tackle her to the ground and put your hands on her throat and threaten to kill her."

Mari gazed at Emiko with wide eyes. "She took my precious rings. I have every right to kill her. If we were back home, she would be executed for stealing from a noble."

"We're not at home, though," Yumichika sighed, "I don't see what the big deal about this whole situation is. It's just a couple of overrated rings that would be meaningless if we go home. They wouldn't be a proof of marriage; all they'd be is thousands of yen sitting on your finger."

Mari pouted again. "If they're so _meaningless_, why did you buy them? And anyway, I don't care. I liked them."

"They're replaceable."

"No, they're not," Mari shook her head, gazing at her ring-less fingers, "They meant something to me, okay? I need to get them back."

They finished eating in silence before Yumichika collected the dishes and washed them before joining Mari and Emiko at the table again. Mari fiddled with her thumbs, gazing at the table. "That was really good," Emiko complimented, to which Yumichika thanked her and Mari sighed, laying back on the floor with her feet still under the table and she gazed up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Yumichika asked her.

"I don't know," she sighed, "I just have this really bad feeling... like something ominous is coming our way."

The next day, Mari entered the classroom slowly, in front of Yumichika and her gaze slowly passed over the class, lingering on each student but stopping on Misaki and she approached her confidently, slamming her hand down on the desk, drawing the attention of each classmate. "Misaki," Mari announced, "I want my rings."

Misaki gave Mari a baffled expression. "Rings? What are you talking about?" Her confusion seemed genuine but Mari could see that gleam in her eyes, like she was dying to smirk but she knew she couldn't in front of all these people. Mari's glare and confidence was firm on her face.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Mari snatched up Misaki's bag and Misaki blushed, reaching for it.

"You can't just look through my bag like that," Misaki gasped, clenching and unclenching her hand like a child reaching for something and the cuteness of it almost made Mari return the bag but she turned away from her, opening up the bag.

Just as it was completely unzipped, Yumichika took it from her hands, handing it to Misaki. "Mari, you do realize that the entire class is watching you right now? You're making a fool of yourself."

His words felt like he had punched her right in the gut and her face turned red with anger. "What do you care?" she snapped, "You're the one _dating_ the fool."

Misaki sighed, lifting her bag to Mari. "You can search it, if it'll calm you down."

Mari snatched it back up and dug through it, checking every nook and cranny of her bag and she began to panic when she didn't find the rings. "I saw her with them," she barely mumbled, "She... she took them. You took them home, didn't you?"

Misaki gave Mari a baffled expression. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

Mari spun around to one of Misaki's friends, who sat in front of Emiko. "You were there yesterday. Where did she put the rings? Tell me right now."

The girl's confusion was genuine and she seemed annoyed with Mari's demand. "I don't know what you're talking about either. You should just sit down. You look stupid right now."

Mari pouted, taking a step back and her gaze ran over the class one more time. All of them except for Emiko either looked confused or amused; even Yumichika looked annoyed with her. Mari's limbs felt weak and she handed the bag to Misaki just as the bell ring and the second Yumichika and the rest of the class averted their attention from her, Misaki gave Mari the smuggest smirk she'd ever seen. It was clear she had been dying to do it since the moment Mari brought it up to her. Mari turned away without bothering to give her any sort of response and she took her seat behind Emiko, her shoulders slumped forward. Misaki was winning and Mari was losing control of the situation.


	22. Chapter 22

After school, Mari met Emiko at her desk, watching as Yumichika walked right past her towards Misaki and she could tell he was apologizing for her and she clenched her jaw. "Let's go, Emiko," she muttered, "We don't have to wait for him."

They left the class and Emiko was gazing at her feet worriedly until they finally were outside. "Mari, wasn't that weird? It was like they all just forgot about it. I know them and I know they're not good liars. Well, I don't know about Misaki but the rest of them."

Mari nodded. "I have this theory... I can't really explain it to you now. Once I know for sure, I'll tell you. Listen, you can go home if you want. I just need some time alone. I'll see you tomorrow."

Emiko nodded. "I'll see you then. Text me, okay?"

Mari waved as she turned away, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. She walked slowly, gazing at her feet and she glanced back often, as if expecting to see Yumichika, even after she passed their apartment building and continued walking, but she never saw him. She stopped at a fast food restaurant and ordered herself a burger, sitting down by herself to eat before she slowly began walking home again. Once she was back outside of her apartment, the second her hand touched the doorknob, she could _sense _what was to come before she saw it and she opened the door slowly, peering in and was much more angry than surprised to see Misaki sitting at the table, giving Mari a look of contempt. Mari closed the door, approaching slowly and sitting down across from her. "I didn't know we had a visitor," she said loudly enough for Yumichika to hear.

"Oh, is that you, Mari?" Yumichika peered out of the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you until later; I thought you went to Emiko's house. Anyway, she's only staying for dinner to make up for you embarrassing the both of you so try to act mature, just this once."

Mari cast a glare in his direction but he had already retreated to the kitchen so she got to her feet and went into their bedroom, closing the door and snuggling Suki as she opened up her cell phone and dialed a number. "Akio?"

"Oh, Mari?" he answered, "What's up? Do you need something?"

"Yeah. Could you come over? I'm upset with Yumichika right now and I think having you here will ease the tension a bit."

There was hesitation in his voice. "A-alright... I'll be there in a few minutes. Try not to get into a big fight."

"Just hurry," she sighed before hanging up the phone and giving Suki another kiss as she slid off the bed and returned to the living room, sitting across from Misaki again and gazing at the table to avoid looking at her because she hated the look of contempt she was giving her. "I hate what you're doing to him," Mari muttered quietly so that only Misaki could hear, "I hate it so much that you're just playing with him like he's some kind of... toy. You're terrible."

She laughed quietly, cocking her head to one side and giving Mari a frightening smirk. "I knew you'd figure it out."

Mari finally lifted her gaze to her, giving her a cold glare. "You've changed so much. You're not the loving older sister I once knew... Sakiko. Everyone... they all thought you were dead."

"Like I care," she muttered, "They'd rather have me dead anyway. I had a weak spell cast on me so that I wouldn't be recognizable but you seem to have seen through it. I guess I shouldn't expect any different since you were always the stronger one."

Mari could feel tears welling in her eyes. "They'd rather have you dead? If you'd have said that to Akio, he might have slapped you for saying something so stupid. It's true, the clan just uses us as a representative for them but I loved you and so did Akio."

Sakiko looked away. "Don't even say that name. He sickens me. He never loved me and if he says he did then he's lying. If he really loved me, nothing that has happened thus far would have happened and you and I and Akio would all be living happily in the soul society."

Mari clenched her jaw. "So then you really _are_ in cahoots with Haruki? That's disgusting. He's disgusting."

"Why's that?" Sakiko smirked, fingering a lock of her hair. "Is it because he took your innocence? He drove you out of your own home in fear? He caused you to disrupt the peace and you took your stupid boyfriend and Akio with you. Is that why?"

"Don't call him stupid," Mari snapped, careful to keep her voice down, "You don't know him. You don't know anything about him. Just leave him alone. If you want to kill me, then kill me. I'll gladly let you do it if it meant Yumichika and Akio would be safe. If you want to torture me then torture me alone. There's no reason for them to get involved."

Sakiko laughed again, giving Mari a look full of pity. "It's bothering you, isn't it?" Mari nodded. "That's exactly the point. If you'll _gladly_ let me kill you, then there's no point. I don't want you to be glad about it. I want you to feel the same way I did."

Mari clenched her hands into fists just as there was a knock on the door and it opened. "Hey, Yumichika, I don't know what's going on but you're wrong..." he trailed off and Mari knew what his expression looked like just by gazing at Sakiko's. She wasn't sure when the last time she'd seen Sakiko so wounded emotionally; the way her eyebrows were scrunched and her eyes were sad and turning a shade of pink and the way the corners of her lips were pinched down. She was clearly in distress just at the sight of him. Mari turned her head to Akio, who was still standing at the open doorway with one hand at his side and one hand slightly lifted and his expression was pure astonishment; he had thought Sakiko was dead. Mari couldn't imagine what he must have been feeling as he stood there, gazing at her.

Yumichika's voice broke the tension-filled silence from the kitchen. "What was that, Akio? Are you staying for dinner?"

"Um... no, I... I just dropped by because Mari called me but... I didn't know you'd have a g-guest."

Yumichika entered the room and curiously, his gaze flickered from Sakiko's to Akio's and back again before he disregarded it. "It's fine. You can stay for dinner. Akio, this is Misaki and Misaki, this is Akio. Dinner's almost ready."

He returned to the kitchen and Akio closed the door, gazing at his feet. "Misaki... huh? You always did like that name, Saki."

Sakiko looked away, her jaw clenched. "What are you talking about? M-my name is Misaki. The spell... you shouldn't be able to know who I am. Even Mari didn't figure it out until now."

Akio chuckled, sitting down beside Mari. "If I couldn't recognize you, Saki, I would be insane. But I... I don't understand. I thought you were dead."

Sakiko continued gazing at the floor beside her instead of at his face. "Whatever," she muttered, "it doesn't matter if you two recognize me. The one I'm after right now is Yumichika and he can't ever recognize me since he's never seen me before."

"Why are you doing this?" Mari whispered, "Why does it have to be Yumichika? Please don't hurt him."

Sakiko gave her another smirk. "I'm not going to hurt him. I'm going to do the opposite."

Mari gazed at her with confusion until Yumichika finally entered with the dinner, which he set in front of each person and he sat down beside Sakiko. Mari noticed the change in her expression once he entered; she had transformed from Sakiko to Misaki. "Mari hasn't bothered you, has she?" he asked her as he sat down and Mari gave him a cold glare.

"No, not at all," Misaki said kindly, "She was fine. Don't be mad at her."

Mari's fists clenched tighter and Akio cleared his throat beside her. "Since when has Mari been bothersome to you, Yumichika?"

Yumichika's brow rose. "Bothersome? Not necessarily, but today in class she demanded Misaki let her look through her bag in front of the entire class for nothing and she embarrassed herself over a couple of rings."

"Rings?" Akio tapped his chin. "You mean the ones you gave her?" Yumichika nodded. "They're lost."

"Yes," Yumichika answered, "It's not important to me but Mari's making a big deal out of nothing."

Mari gazed down at her hands in her lap. "It's always been just nothing to you, hasn't it?" There was a short silence before she got to her feet. "I'm not hungry." She returned to the room and shut the door, lying on her back on the bed and Suki climbed on to her chest, pawing at her face gently. Mari ignored it as she gazed at the ceiling, a blank expression on her face as she wondered whether Yumichika was just as in love with her as he had claimed to be the day before or if he was slowly beginning to slip away from her.

It wasn't long before the door cracked open and Akio peered in. "Mari?" Mari didn't move as he entered and shut the door behind him. "Are you okay?"

Mari nodded. "I'm fine," she sighed, "I just... I'm hurt that he's always siding with her. It's like he's only with me anymore out of impulse and he's actually developing feelings for her."

Akio chuckled, sitting at the edge of her bed. "I don't really understand what's happening but I don't like it much either."

Mari pouted, looking away from him. "I'm sorry, Akio. I've known she was alive since before we came here but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Akio, she's... she's working with Haruki." Akio froze before turning to face her with wide eyes. "That must mean that, since she was here when we first got here, he's known our whereabouts this whole time. I don't know what they're planning but she seems bent on getting Yumichika on her side. That scares me so much."

Akio clenched his hands into fists. "She's working with... Haruki? Why would she do that?"

Mari shook her head. "I don't know. She's never told me why but she seems really angry with me. She said she wanted me to feel the same why she did."

"Sakiko..." he murmured and for the first time, Mari could see how truly he did love Sakiko, although he normally hid it from Mari. "I knew she was hurting but I never knew she'd take it this far and put you in danger just to ease her own pain." His gaze fell to his lap and his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "It's my fault... if only I had showed her how much I love her from the beginning, this never would have happened. She felt unloved, that's why she hurt so much."

"It's not your fault. Don't say it's your fault; you couldn't possibly have predicted she'd go this far. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine; I was so obsessed with the attention I was finally getting from everyone that I didn't even bother insisting that they let Saki keep the position."

"You weren't expecting this either, Mari. Don't blame yourself." Mari watched as he lay down on Yumichika's side of the bed, facing away from her. "I just hope Yumichika doesn't get himself killed, for your sake. I don't know if she'll go that far, though."

Mari clenched her hands into fists. "I don't want to think about it. I don't doubt he can protect himself but I don't know what she has up her sleeves and... I don't hate her, Akio. I couldn't hate her. In fact, I miss having her as my sister. So I... I don't think I could avenge Yumichika if she killed him."

There was a long moment of silence before he murmured, "I miss her too but I've decided." He hesitantly continued, "If Sakiko is your enemy... then she's my enemy too."

Mari gazed at him in shock but she couldn't see his face. "But... Akio... you don't have to do that for me. I know that you love her."

"I do, but I promised your father I'd protect you. You've become like a sister to me and clearly Sakiko doesn't trust me enough to even let me know she was still alive all this time so I'd be nothing more than a jerk if I sided with Sakiko instead of you."

Mari felt tears well in her eyes. "Thank you, Akio. I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. I know that if I thought I lost Yumichika only to have him suddenly return years later and have him want me dead, I would... I don't know what I'd do."

"I don't really know what to do either. I'm not sure what I should say or how I should feel. I just want you to know that I'm on your side... okay? Please don't feel unloved... ever."

Mari quickly wiped at the tears spilling from her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulder. "Thank you so much, Akio. It means a lot to me, especially since Yumichika has been slipping away from me lately and I've been feeling sort of alone. But don't worry, I won't end up like Sakiko. I won't abandon you like she did."

Sakiko didn't leave until late that night and the entire time, Mari hid in her room with Akio and, although they laid silently, she still felt comforted by his presence. Once Sakiko left, Akio waited a bit before leaving as well so that he wouldn't have to run into her although Mari couldn't help but worry that he'd be ambushed and was continuously peering out the window in the living room even long after he left.

"What are you doing?" Yumichika asked as he finished up cleaning the dishes.

Mari shook her head. "I just hope he can make it home safely."

Yumichika shrugged. "He's strong, he'll be fine. It's only a threat if it's Haruki but that's not possible." Mari sighed, clenching her hands into fists without bothering to dwell on the subject, seeing as he seemed like he wasn't planning on believing her any time soon. "So, uh... what did you and Akio do all day?"

Mari's jaw clenched this time and she was careful not to glare at him although she wanted to. "We didn't do anything. We just laid there. We hardly even spoke. Why? Are you suspicious of me?"

"No, that's not it," Yumichika said quietly, "I was just... wondering."

Mari sighed again and forced herself to relax, leaning her head against the window. "What did you and Misaki talk about today?"

"Nothing," he answered, "Just school, really."

Mari tapped her knee with her index finger, keeping her gaze on the snow white full moon high in the sky. "So you talked about school for a whole three hours? Just solving systems of equations and Shakespeare and economics? You guys must be really _great_ friends then, huh?"

The sink shut off abruptly. "What do you know about making friends? It's not like you've ever had any."

Suddenly, there was silence yet it didn't feel silent; everything inside of Mari was twisting and turning and she slowly turned her head to him to see that pure regret shadowed his expression yet he said nothing as he gazed at her. Without a word, Mari got to her feet and went into the bedroom, digging out the sleeping mat and a blanket and tossing it out of the room before locking the door and changing into her pajamas. She climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin and gazing at the ceiling, willing herself with all her strength not to cry; she didn't want to feel even pain but his words had stung her so much that it was difficult to bear. She had never expected him, in a million fights, to ever say something so mean to her and the fact that he seemed to regret it yet he never even apologized made her feel even worse. He didn't even think it was worth apologizing. Her heart ached as she tried to focus on thinking of school tomorrow to distract herself enough to sleep.

The next morning, Mari climbed out of bed and sluggishly prepared herself for school and when she left the bedroom, she mumbled, "We should skip breakfast otherwise we'll be..." She trailed off upon realizing that Yumichika had left already. A wave of ache came over her; although they fought the night before, she expected him to wait for her but then again, the only reason he was ever late was because he always waited for her. He wouldn't even eat until she was ready so that they could eat together. Mari's hand clenched the doorknob so tightly it hurt as she gazed at the empty living room intently, as if expecting him to come out of the kitchen or the bathroom and ask her to finish her sentence but when it never came, she shifted to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of already made coffee. Although he hadn't waited for her, there was coffee ready for her and a breakfast which eased her pain a bit; maybe he was just tired of being late to school every day.

Mari sighed as she took her coffee and breakfast to the table and began nibbling on her food when suddenly there was a knock on the door and it was open before Mari could get to her feet. Mari turned her head to see Emiko standing in the doorway, a worried expression on her face and she was visibly overcome with relief upon seeing Mari sitting by herself eating breakfast. "Emiko? What are you doing here? You know we're already late, right? Class has started."

Emiko sighed, giving her a smile as she shut the door and approached, sitting beside her. "I was in class on time but I saw Yumichika there without you and when I asked where you were he just said 'I don't know' so I got worried and came here."

Mari rolled her eyes. "He knew where I was and he should have just told you instead of letting you worry."

Emiko shrugged. "It's no big deal. The teacher saw me there on time, so I don't think I'll get marked absent but I'll probably get marked tardy. How come you're so late today? This is usually the time you're showing up."

"Usually Yumichika pressures me to hurry up so we won't be late," Mari sighed, "Today he didn't. We got into a fight last night and I made him sleep out here on a mat so I guess he's mad."

"How come you guys got into a fight?"

Mari sighed again, wrapping up the food and putting it in the refrigerator before downing as much coffee as she could. "Over _Misaki,_ of course. I'm genuinely starting to think that he's beginning to like her. I feel like he's slipping away from me and whenever something happens between me and Misaki, he's always siding with her. On top of that, he was suspicious because Akio and I were alone in the room together but we weren't doing anything; he was the one treating Misaki like a princess out here like he owes her something." Mari rolled her eyes before lifting her bag over her shoulder and gesturing to the door so they began walking together to school. "I don't understand... no, I _act_ like I don't understand why but I think I do. If he's developing feelings for her, then it's obvious it's because she's prettier than me and she's charming and she seems to know how to make people laugh and she's a really good actress apparently, by the way she acts in front of me versus how she acts around everyone else. Of course that's why Yumichika likes her. Me, on the other hand... I'm nowhere near as pretty as she is and I'm a spoiled, good for nothing brat who is way too clingy of him. I'd choose her over me too."

Emiko was frowning when she turned to look at Mari, shaking her head. "I won't lie and say that Misaki is ugly because she's not but I think you're much prettier than she is and I'm not just saying that. If he chooses her over you then he's crazy because she's the spoiled, good for nothing brat. I never liked her from the beginning but you've been so nice to me all this time. You're the first best friend I've had since middle school."

Mari felt taken aback by Emiko's sudden compliment. "I'm your... best friend?"

Emiko blushed, looking away. "If... if you don't want to be, that's okay."

Mari shook her head. "No, I was just surprised. Thank you, Emiko. I'm glad you think so good of me. You're my best friend too."

Emiko smiled and the rest of the short walk there was silence yet Mari felt just as comforted by Emiko as she had by Akio. Once they arrived, Mari entered first and the teacher eyed Mari but when Emiko stepped in behind her, he looked away without a word, despite having walked in about twenty minutes late. Mari led the way through her row to her seat and Misaki gave Mari a smile, which went completely ignored as Mari sat down and took her notebook out of her bag and a pencil, without even a glance back at Yumichika.


	23. Chapter 23

In gym class, Mari tried to relax and ignore Misaki and Yumichika, whom were chatting away in the middle of the field with their water bottles, as the class played a game of rugby. Mari played diligently, releasing all her emotion into the game and into her tackles and into her running or her throws. Mari was running towards the goal, having to run past Misaki but before she passed, Misaki dumped her water bottle out on the floor and Mari slipped and fell, losing grip of the ball before she hit the ground and the opposing team picked it up, beginning to run the other way. Mari glared at Misaki.

"That was completely unnecessary," Mari snapped, "You did that on purpose."

Misaki gave Mari a smile. "I'm sorry, Mari," she gently told her, putting her palms together, "I don't know what I did but you're always accusing me of things. I'm sorry you don't like me."

Mari's hands clenched to fists as she listened to the laughter around her; everyone had seen it, or so she thought until she lifted her gaze to Yumichika to see that he was looking away as if pretending not to notice what has just occurred right in front of him. Her hands clenched even tighter and she angrily got to her feet, giving Misaki a rough push. "I'm sick of you," Mari snapped, "I wish someone would break your heart again because I liked you better when you were suicidal." Misaki's smile faded and she gave her an expression that Mari was sure mimicked the one she had given Yumichika the night before and she knew Sakiko well enough to know that it was genuine. Mari felt a lump in her throat, immediately regretting what she'd said and she murmured, "Wait, Saki... Misaki, I didn't mean..."

Yumichika took Misaki by the shoulders, pulling her back a bit and Mari was overcome with jealousy at the way he was holding her so protectively, giving Mari an astonished glare. "Mari, _what_ is your problem? You don't just say something like that to someone. You're horrible."

Mari was overwhelmed with negative emotions; sadness, regret, guilt, jealousy, and anger and they seemed to be wrestling for dominance in her heart and she took a step back. "Sakiko, I didn't mean it," she barely murmured and yet Sakiko's expression didn't change as she gazed at Mari with that empty, broken-hearted expression, even as Yumichika pulled her away from Mari to another side of the field and Mari took another step back before pushing through the crowd and to the locker room where she quickly changed her clothes. She plopped down on the bench between the sets of lockers, gazing at her feet with wide eyes; the amount of pain she felt was unprecedented. Why did it hurt her so much that she'd hurt Sakiko's feelings? Sakiko had been doing nothing but hurting Mari since she arrived and she never felt even a drop of remorse for it. Mari wasn't sure whether to feel guilt at saying what she did to Sakiko or to be angry that Yumichika was sticking up for Sakiko or to feel jealous about it, so in the end, sadness triumphed and it filled every pore on her body.

She felt lightheaded and didn't move until the locker room filled and Emiko was suddenly sitting beside her, tightly holding her hand. "Yumichika is acting like a jerk," she murmured, "Don't be sad, Mari. Even though he's acting like a jerk, I know things between you two will patch up soon. They always do."

Mari shook her head. "He's on her side. He likes her. When she said she wanted to take him from me, she wasn't lying."

Emiko shook her head. "That can't be right though. He loves you."

"If he loves me, then why do I feel like this? I could see it in the way he pulled her back like that. He feels something towards her. He's probably tired of me. I don't blame him."

They sat together silently even after the locker room cleared out and the late bell rang. "Let's go home," Emiko suggested, startling Mari.

"Go home? But that's skipping and we could get in trouble. That wouldn't look good on your record, especially since you're the class president."

Emiko shrugged. "I don't care right now. You're hurt and I know the last thing you want to do is to go to class and see them again. Let's go to your apartment and hang out there."

Mari scratched her chin thoughtfully. "As long as you're okay with it."

Emiko smiled, getting to her feet. "Let's go then." Mari gathered her things as Emiko did the same and they peered around the hallway before slipping out the front doors of the building and beginning to walk to the apartment. "If you're not ready to see him by the time school's out, we can just go to my house."

Mari nodded, only half aware of what was going on as she blindly followed Emiko down the path she took twice a day yet she felt as if she had no idea where they were going. Her heart was aching uncontrollably and now she felt irresponsible for letting Emiko skip with her, all the way there until they sat down at the table and Mari rested her head on it as Emiko went to the bedroom and opened the door for Suki. Suki approached, hopping on to the table and she sniffed Mari's hair before purring loudly and rubbing herself all over her face and head, finding a spot to rest in Mari's nap. "You know what I said to Sakiko... I mean Misaki on the track? Maybe this is karma because suddenly I feel suicidal."

Emiko sat down beside Mari, resting her head on the table as well and Mari could feel her gaze on her. "What was your life like before you met Yumichika? You could just go back to that."

"My life wasn't too good back then either. He was the only reason things got better. Even Akio never cared about me until Yumichika talked some sense into him."

"Date Akio instead."

Mari laughed, shaking her head. "I don't see him like that. Besides, he's in love with my sister; I don't really care how it would make her feel but going after him just wouldn't feel right. I don't think he'd like being a rebound anyway."

Emiko wrapped her arms around Mari's head on the table, resting her forehead on Mari's face and Mari could feel her breath on her cheek and she closed her eyes. "Mari, you're my best friend. I wish you weren't going through this right now. It hurts me too because I can feel it right now that your heart is broken and I wish I could just protect you from it somehow but I can't and that makes me sad." Mari could feel Emiko's hand gently stroking her hair. "Can you tell me about the world you come from?"

Mari kept her eyes closed, taking a deep slow breath, feeling comforted. "It's the place where you go when you die. Some people go to hell, but only if they're very bad as a human. Everyone else goes to where I'm from; it's called the soul society."

"Is it like heaven?"

Mari shook her head. "Not exactly. Heaven is supposed to be like paradise, right? Well in the soul society, it's like life on earth except people there don't age. I'm not really dead though, I was born there. I'm from a noble family inside the seireitei, which is the where the soul reapers live. The soul reapers are the ones who protect humans and they send souls to the soul society. Yumichika and Akio are soul reapers. I'm supposed to be the head of my family now and my sister, Sakiko, was originally supposed to be the head but she was raped and that's not how the rumor went around, so she had shamed the family and had to step down. I don't think she shamed the family, but that's just how the elders put it. Then she vanished and nobody knew where she'd gone. So I was the next option. Akio, who was supposed to be Sakiko's betrothed, was assigned my guardian and my trainer, to make sure what happened to Sakiko never happened to me. He didn't like me very much at first so I couldn't train with him and that's how I met Yumichika. We saw each other every single day for three months just to train together and I really started to like him and he really started to like me too."

Mari explained all that had happened since then and she explained that Misaki was actually Sakiko and she told her all about Haruki as well. Emiko stayed silent for a few long moments afterwards, as if processing all that Mari had told her. "So Misaki is actually... your sister?" Mari nodded and Emiko sat up, releasing Mari and Mari instantly felt a chill at the lack of someone else's warmth. "Hey, Mari... I have an idea of how to make you feel a lot better but it's something I've never tried before but I've always wanted to."

Mari sat as well, turning to gaze at Emiko. "What is it?"

Emiko tapped her chin before taking out her phone and sending a message. "I'll be right back. Wait here for me, okay?"

She got to her feet and Mari watched her leave before resting her forehead on the table, stroking Suki's soft fur. "I wish I was like you and I didn't have to deal with boys or broken hearts." Suki stretched, flexing her paws each time Mari pet her and she meowed, lifting her big blue eyes to Mari. "You're lucky. I wish I could sleep all day and all night. You seem so happy when you're awake, too. You're lucky." Mari fought back tears shaking her head. "On top of everything, one day I'm going to have to go back to the soul society and leave Emiko behind. What'll I do then? Surely Yumichika will have left me already for Sakiko and I don't think I'll be able to forgive him if he chooses her over me in this fight. I'll be alone. Will you come with me, Suki? Can I bring you with me? Of course I will." As if understanding what Mari had said, Suki sat up, forcing her head into the palm of Mari's hand before licking her hand comfortingly and Mari smiled. "Thanks, Suki. I'll have you and Akio. I wouldn't be able to take Emiko away from her family, though. They seem so nice and she loves them, I can tell. That would just be rude of me. But I'll miss her a lot."

Mari pet Suki until the door opened up and Emiko sat down, a paper bag in her hand and a smile on her face as she reached into the bag and retrieved a pink glass that was open at the top and had a tube coming off the side and she filled it with water before returning to sit by Mari. Emiko took out a baggie with what looked like crushed green leaves in it and put a chunk of it on the tube and she took out a lighter, holding it up. "Do you have all this stuff at home? Smoking this will make you feel better."

Mari cocked her head to one side. "What is it?"

Emiko smiled. "This glass is a bong and this green stuff is marijuana. I'll show you how to do it." Emiko used the lighter and lit the marijuana before putting her mouth on the top opening. When she picked up her head, she was in a coughing fit but then she was laughing. "Try it."

Mari felt skeptical at first as she leaned forward, careful not to disturb Suki too much as she put her mouth on it as well, taking a hit and she coughed as well but it felt nice somewhat. By just the second hit, they both stopped coughing and they didn't stop until most of the marijuana was gone and Emiko was right; all though Mari felt lazy somehow, she didn't feel sad about Yumichika. Both of them were lying on their backs, gazing up at the ceiling light calmly and Suki was resting on Mari's chest now, where it was more comfortable. "You know what," Mari broke the silence, "forget Yumichika. Forget boys in general. Girls are great too; I should go for a girl."

"Really?" Emiko asked.

Mari shrugged. "I don't know. I need to think."

"If you do go for a girl, can you pick me?"

Mari turned her head to Emiko, holding out her pinky. "Promise you won't fall for my sister?"

Emiko wrapped her pinky around Mari's. "No offense but I don't like your sister at all."

"You're already better than Yumichika." Mari slid her pinky from Emiko's but instead slid her hand into hers, intertwining their fingers. "I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or if this is real life." Mari turned her head back to the ceiling. "Has anyone ever told you that you're really pretty? How come you don't have a boyfriend? I would date you if I were a boy."

"Why do you have to be a boy?" Emiko scooted closer to Mari, kissing her on her cheek.

Mari turned her head to Emiko's and the next thing she knew, their lips were pressed together and their tongues were lightly dancing together, perfectly in sync; it just felt like the right thing to do. When she pulled away, she turned her head to the ceiling, licking her lips repeatedly. "Your lips are soft and moist and sweet and I could kiss you all day but I'm too in love with Yumichika right now. Once I get over him a little, I'll let you know."

Emiko nodded, returning her gaze to the ceiling as well. "That's okay." They lay there silently and Mari had long since lost track of time until Emiko sat up again. "I should go home. School just finished. Are you okay with seeing Yumichika?"

Mari nodded. "I can't wait for him to get home so he can make me sushi. I really want sushi right now."

Emiko nodded again. "Me too. I'm gonna get going. See you tomorrow."

Mari said nothing as Emiko took her bag and left and Mari sighed, petting Suki. "You'll never walk out that door without me, will you, Suki? We're friends forever." After a few moments, the door opened and Yumichika entered without even a glance in Mari's direction and he went straight to their bedroom to change, closing the door. "Yumichika?" she called, and when she received no response, she continued, "You don't have to talk to me but... can you make me sushi?"

She heard a chuckle and the door opened as he leaned against the doorway, shirtless but he carried the shirt in his hand and he gave her a sigh, shaking his head. "I was expecting you to say something to try to win me over."

Mari scratched her chin. "I'm too hungry for that. I just want sushi right now. Can you make me some?"

He nodded before pulling his shirt on. "I don't see why you can't just make it yourself, though."

She sighed, sitting up and placing Suki in her lap. "I'm tired. I just wanna eat and then go to sleep."

He paused on his way to the kitchen, gazing at her for a moment before kneeling down beside her, lifting her chin towards him and examining her face. "Mari... what have you been doing all day?"

Mari shrugged. "Emiko gave me something to make me feel better."

"Emiko," he repeated slowly before pulling away, shaking his head, "If it's her, it's probably not what I think it is."

He got to his feet and went into the kitchen and Mari rested her head on the table, gazing at the window. Why did Yumichika look at her face like that? Maybe he wasn't losing feelings for her after all; she could've sworn she saw his pupils dilate when he was so close to her. But at the same time, if he wasn't losing feelings for her, why would he have held Sakiko like that? Mari sighed. "I always knew you'd choose Sakiko over me."

"What was that?" he called and she shook her head.

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself." He didn't respond and she poked at her own cheek. "You're so cute, Mari," she whispered to herself, in imitation of Yumichika, before poking herself in the cheek again, "Give yourself more credit, Mari," and she poked herself in the cheek again, "I'll always love you, Mari. There's no one else in the world I'd rather be with, Mari. You're the only one for me, Mari. I love you, Mari." Her hand fell to her side again. "I must be dumber than I originally thought. If only I hadn't run out into that forest away from Akio that day."

After a few long moments, Yumichika returned from the kitchen and set down Mari's food in front of her setting his in front of himself, sitting beside her. Mari ate quickly and silently yet she couldn't seem to fill her stomach, even after finishing everything in front of her and she turned to Yumichika, pouting. He sighed, shaking his head. "Mari, if you want seconds, make your own. You usually don't even finish what I give you."

Mari sighed, getting to her feet and she slowly, sluggishly moved towards their bedroom, turning once she reached the doorway to face him. "Yumichika, what exactly is marijuana?"

He slowly turned towards her with wide eyes. "Why are you asking me that?"

She shrugged, fingering a lock of her hair. "Emiko brought some over earlier and we smoked it. She said it would make me feel better and I guess I'm not sad anymore but I'm not happy either."

"Don't do that again," he demanded, "Don't be one of those people, Mari. I didn't expect Emiko to be like that, either."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Why are you telling me what to do? We're not together anymore."

His eyes widened even further and he furrowed his brow. "W-what? What do you mean we're not together? Sure we are, Mari. We're still together."

Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't know why you seem so upset by it. You're clearly more interested in Misaki, anyway. I always figured you'd like her better." She turned away. "If you ever decide maybe you like me better than her after all then let me know."

Without another word, she entered the bedroom and shut the door, plopping down on her bed. It was hard to say that to him, no matter how high the drug had made her. She wanted to enjoy the way he was treating her because she knew it wouldn't last but she couldn't bring herself to.


	24. Chapter 24

The next day, Mari reluctantly climbed out of bed and didn't bother getting dressed up much like she usually did; she washed up in the bathroom and put on her uniform, throwing her hair up into a bun and slipping the shoes on to her feet. As she stepped out of the bedroom, her gaze found Yumichika just as he opened the apartment door to reveal Misaki. Of course; this was why he'd stopped waiting for her, wasn't it? Mari watched as they happily greeted each other and talked quietly for a moment before laughing and beginning to walk out. She couldn't help but wonder what she had said to him to make him laugh or what he'd said to her; she missed laughing casually like that with him because although it was something so simple, she'd felt so carefree when she laughed with him.

Sighing, she put herself some coffee and sat at the table, stirring it as she gazed out the window. All the window revealed was the sky. It didn't show the surrounding buildings or houses or stores; just the pale blue sky with the smudges of white clouds and the bright sun light filtering through the blinds. Mari watched the sky as she sipped her coffee and by the time she finished, she was very late for school again like the day before but this time Emiko wasn't here to cover for her. Shrugging, Mari gathered her things and left the apartment, walking slowly down the sidewalk, her gaze on her feet and she carefully avoided stepping on any of the cracks on the floor to keep her mind occupied.

"Hey, baby," a voice startled her out of her thoughts and she lifted her gaze to see a couple of shady looking boys wearing hoodies and they had stubbly faces and droopy eyes; there was no way they were sober. "Why don't you come hang out with us for a while?"

Mari furrowed her brow. "No, thanks, I got enough things to deal with as it is. Leave me alone." She walked past as if to skirt them when one of them grasped her wrist and pulled her back and she attempted to retrieve her wrist from him but failed and he gave her a smirk.

"I said it like a question but it's not your choice." He pulled at her arm and they led her down an alleyway and around some old apartment buildings towards what looked like an old storage and they opened the door, pushing her inside. It was full of gardening tools. One of them bent her over by her hair, rubbing up against her rear while the other knelt down in her face, giving her a smirk. "You look like you'll be a virgin. I'm glad."

Mari laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, sure."

He furrowed his brow, getting to his feet. The one behind her was holding her hands in one hand and he was lifting up her skirt with the other, pulling down her panties slowly. "You've got an amazing body."

"My body doesn't want you," she muttered, "You've seen enough. Can I go now? I'm late for school." The one behind her spanked her roughly, pushing her face into the crotch of the one in front of her, who grasped her hair, pulling her head up to face him.

"I don't know why you got such a mouth on you. You don't get any choices."

Mari sighed, watching with disinterest as he unbuttoned his pants, practically choking her with what came out and she bit down as hard as she could before he screamed, pulling away from her and kicking her to the floor. Her hands were free and she let them kick her as she discretely grasped the steal shovel and she jumped to her feet, hitting both of them to the ground before dropping the shovel and running out of the storage, pulling her panties back up as she ran. She continued glancing back and didn't see them as she ran and she heaved a sigh of relief once she arrived at the apartment door and she opened it, locking it tightly before sitting down on the floor, turning her gaze to the window. "Here I am again."

Her gaze fell to Yumichika's sleeping mat on the floor beside the window and she nibbled on her lip before crawling over it and touching it with her hand. It was neatly made, of course, and it wasn't warm anymore; which was reasonable, since it had been over an hour ago since he was in it. She leaned forward, burying her face into the pillow and inhaling deeply; it smelled just like him, that sweet scent that always seemed to linger on his soft skin. She closed her eyes, hugging his pillow and imagining him kissing her and running her fingers through his soft, silky hair and feeling his fingers trace her sides down to her hips and back up again and she imagined feeling his lips trace soft kissed down her chin and throat and he'd give her a love bite on the crane of her neck, one hand firm around her waist and one running up and down her thigh.

The thought made her tremble and Mari had to force herself to sit back up when she heard the sound of her cell phone beeping from her bag and she got to her feet, hurrying to answer it. It was from Emiko. "Mari?" Emiko's voice answered.

"Oh, Emiko. Is something wrong?"

"No," Emiko responded, "How come you're not at school today? Are you okay?"

Mari sighed, thinking of the two thugs who had tried to rape her. "No reason, really. I just didn't feel like going."

"Are you at home?"

"Yeah. Nowhere else I should be, right?"

"Okay. Can I come over?"

"But you're at school."

"It's lunch time. I can leave easily. I'd rather hang out with you anyway."

Mari nibbled on her lip. "Won't skipping school hurt your grades?"

"Yeah but it's no big deal. You said you'd only be here temporarily, right? So I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

Mari smiled. "Okay. Try not to get hurt."

"Okay! See you!"

"See you."

Mari hung up the phone, setting it on the table and sighing as she returned her gaze to the window. Then again... was it okay to let Emiko walk to her house by herself with those two thugs running around? She'd gotten away but Emiko might not be so lucky if they came across her. Quickly, Mari opened her cell phone and dialed Akio's number and pressed the phone to her ear, feeling her breathing increase.

"Akio," she said quickly when she heard an answer, "I need you to do me a favor. Can you come out here as quick as you can and keep an eye out for Emiko? She's walking here and there were a couple of shady looking guys outside."

Akio chuckled. "I'll be right over but next time, don't be so quick to judge."

Mari rolled her eyes. "Can you hurry though? I don't want anything to happen to her on my account."

"Alright, I'll be there soon. How come you're not in school?"

Mari shrugged. "That's unimportant right now. After Emiko gets here safely, you can come inside and I'll make all of us some tea. That sound okay?"

"That sounds lovely," he answered, "I'll be there ASAP."

He hung up the phone and she set hers down, worriedly returning to the window and leaning against it, peering out. How long would Emiko take? She fingered a lock of her hair as she worriedly watched yet she couldn't see anything except for the street and the sidewalk across it; the sidewalk along the front of the building wasn't visible from this high up. Mari sighed repeatedly, feeling restless and the time went by so slowly it was nerve racking. Finally the door opened and Mari spun around, her eyes widening upon seeing Akio walking in by himself and he gazed at her worriedly. "Mari, I stood out there for an hour. I can't find her. I don't think she got here before me."

Mari jumped to her feet, her heart racing with fear. "We have to go look for her!" She pushed past him out the door and he followed her closely as they sprinted down the stairs of the building and burst through the main entrance, glancing left and right before Mari began dashing towards the storage full of gardening tools and, to her fear, the door was cracked open. She pulled it completely open and gasped; Emiko was lying on the ground with her shirt torn open and her skirt pulled up. Her eyes were closed but Mari could see her chest moving up and down with each heavy breath and Mari knelt down beside her, pulling her skirt back down so it covered her and, although the buttons were broken now, she pulled the uniform closed and gathered Emiko in her arms. "Let's hurry back. I don't want anyone else to see her like this."

They quickly weaved through the apartment buildings until they arrived at the one Mari and Yumichika lived in and they took the elevator up to their floor, hurriedly going inside. Mari was nibbling roughly on her lip as she set Emiko gently down on Yumichika's mat and she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, sitting at her side.

"I wish I never let her come see me. It's my fault this happened. I could have stopped her. This never would have happened."

Akio sighed, sitting down beside her. "Don't blame yourself. Those jerks shouldn't be touching any girl they find."

Mari rolled her eyes. "They tried to do that to me too but I hit them both with a shovel."

"I'm glad you were able to fight them off. Emiko doesn't seem like much of a fighter, though."

Mari shook her head, sighing. "I hope she'll be okay." She got to her feet, turning towards the kitchen. "Keep an eye on her. I'm gonna make some tea."

Akio nodded and Mari went into the kitchen, quickly preparing enough tea for the three of them and she returned, setting the three cups at the table just as Emiko was beginning to stir. Mari knelt down beside Akio, at Emiko's side and she watched as Emiko's eyes opened and she gazed around, dullness in her usually bright eyes as she scratched her head. Her gaze found Mari and Mari pulled her into a firm hug.

"Are you okay, Emiko? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Emiko shook her head, sitting up and Mari sat back down as well. "I don't know, but... it's cold in here."

Mari jumped to her feet and rushed to her bedroom, taking out some sweats and an extra pair of panties she'd never used before returning to Emiko's side, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you in the bath, okay? I'll prepare you a nice hot bath and then you can wear my sweats. I also made some tea and if it cools down by the time you're done, I'll heat it up for you."

Emiko held her shirt together, following Mari to the bathroom as Akio sat at the table, beginning to sip his tea. Emiko sat on a stool beside the tub and Mari turned on the warm water, setting Emiko's clothes and a towel on the sink counter.

"Call my name if you need anything. I'll be right out there, okay?" Mari stepped outside the bathroom, closing the door and gazing at the closed door worriedly. She'd have loved to stay in and keep an eye on her if she wouldn't be completely undressed and Emiko might also want to be alone. Mari sighed deeply as she sat beside Akio at the table, sipping her tea. "I'm so worried about her that I almost don't want to leave her alone."

Akio sighed. "I guess all you can do for her right now is give her comfort. The rest is up to her."

Mari rested her head on the table, fingering the side of her tea cup. "Did I ever tell you that... while I was staying with Yumichika before the wedding, Haruki raped me?"

Akio was silent and when Mari's eyes moved to him, his expression was shocked. "He did?" His hands clenched to fists and Mari could see the utter hatred on his face. "He lied to you and he played with your mind and he broke your heart and he split you and Yumichika and on top of all of that he raped you? Mari, I promise you... I'll kill him."

Mari closed her eyes. "Akio, I don't doubt your strength but I know that Haruki is strong... incredibly strong. He isn't going down easily."

"You think I don't know that? Don't worry, though, I'll kill him even if it means giving up my own life."

Mari opened her eyes, eyeing him. "I won't allow it."

Akio chuckled. "Won't allow what? Won't allow me to do my job and protect you?"

Mari shrugged. "I don't mind if you protect me but I won't allow you to die doing it. So if you die, you'll be directly disobeying my order. We won't be friends anymore. Besides..." she returned her gaze to her cup, tracing the designs with her fingertip, "he's not acting alone. Sakiko is the one telling him what to do. I'm not even sure anymore if she's manipulating him or if he's manipulating her."

Akio's gaze fell to his hands in his lap. "I always knew she was hurting but I never knew the severity of it. I never would have thought she'd go this far. Before what happened, she was always so kind and gentle... I guess I just held on to that image I had of her too tightly."

"Nobody thought she'd go this far," Mari mumbled, recalling the way her sister used to be. "She killed her own parents when, just a few months prior to, she was the type of person to carry a bug out of the house by hand instead of killing it. It feels... strange, seeing her the way she is now. I thought I knew her so well before, but... I guess when they say people change, they really mean it."

Akio was silent for a few long moments, the only noise being the sound of the water moving with Emiko in the bathroom but when he finally did speak, his voice was soft and he sounded the most vulnerable he would ever dare to reveal to anybody. "Mari... do you think we could ever bring her back? I miss her... a lot. I thought I had recovered because I thought she was _dead_ all this time but when I saw her... all these feelings came rushing back and... I don't know. I didn't feel like she was happy to see me; in fact, it felt like the opposite. Maybe she has real feelings for Haruki now."

Mari shrugged. "I don't know. I wish I could tell you something comforting, but I know just as much as you do. It would be nice if we could bring her back to the way she was but I just don't know."

There was another long silence before Akio clenched his hands into fists and bared his teeth. "I can't get over what you said he did to you. It makes me want to vomit. I feel like I've failed you. I should have been protecting you."

Mari shook her head. "It wasn't anyone's fault but his. I was sitting alone in Yumichika's room; nobody expected that. It was before we even knew he was after us."

"Still," he insisted, "He's vile and disgusting to do that to you."

Mari gazed at her cup, slowly licking her lips. "That's how I feel about Emiko."

Akio said nothing, gazing at her for a few long moments until the sound of the shower draining grew audible and she jumped to her feet, rushing to the door and she stood there for a moment until the door cracked open. "Mari?"

"Yes? Do you need anything?" Mari asked. The door opened and Emiko peered out, gazing around and her gaze found Akio, who was turned to see, and she appeared nervous for half a second before she stepped out, her hands clenched into tight fists. Mari led her back to the table, sitting beside Akio and letting Emiko sit on the side of the table near her. Mari smiled before getting back to her feet and opening her bedroom door, letting Suki leave the bedroom and she approached them slowly, sniffing the both of them before deciding to take a seat on the table, watching Mari. "Your cup is probably cold, isn't it? I'll warm it up."

Mari lifted the cup off the table and disappeared into the kitchen, setting it in the microwave and watching as it lit up and the plate turned the cup inside. After a minute, she heard a loud, angry _mrrow_ followed by Emiko's voice quickly exclaiming, "Don't touch me!"

Mari quickly hurried to the living room to see Emiko was scooted away from the table, her eyes squeezed closed and her hands up and Akio was sitting in Mari's spot, gazing at Emiko in confusion, holding Suki by the scruff. "What's going on?"

Akio turned to gaze at Mari, scooting back into his seat and setting Suki down on the floor, ignoring her as she hissed at him, clawing at his hand although her claws were trimmed. "Suki was about to bite her and I guess she wasn't looking so I picked up Suki and Emiko panicked."

Mari frowned, gathering Suki in her arms. "Suki, you bad girl. The only people you can bite are me and Akio. Next time, I'll spray you with water."

Suki simply meowed, brushing her head against Mari's arm and Mari returned Suki to the floor beside Akio before returning to the kitchen and retrieving the cup of tea, sighing. Emiko was truly in distress to believe that Akio of all people would actually hurt her, even if she wasn't going to say anything and that made Mari's heart ache; she wanted to do everything in her power to help Emiko heal again. She returned to the living room, setting the cup in front of Emiko and sat down, sipping her own cup.

"So, Emiko, is there anything you want to do today? Any specific food you want to eat or any place you wanna go?" Mari asked in an attempt to keep Emiko's thoughts from going back to what had happened.

There was a long, still silence before Emiko finally shook her head to answer. "No... actually, Mari... do you mind if I stay here tonight? My parents are out again tonight and... I'm afraid to be sleeping alone."

Mari nodded, touching Emiko's hand comfortingly. "Of course, anything. Don't be shy, either; feel free to go into the fridge without asking if you get hungry. I don't think Yumichika will say anything but if he does, don't be afraid to punch him in the face."

Akio smiled. "If you don't want to punch him in the face, leave it to me."

Emiko's expression didn't change as she gazed at the floor, letting Mari touch her hand. "I'm a little tired now... can I take a nap?"

Mari nodded. "Of course. We'll be sharing a bed, if you don't mind; Yumichika has been sleeping on the mat lately anyway." Emiko got to her feet and turned away, disappearing into the bedroom and closing the door. Mari sighed as Suki jumped into her lap and she stroked her head, gazing worriedly at the door. "Besides me, if there's one person in the world she should know would never, ever hurt her that would be you. It's obvious she must be afraid and hurt to react that way to you."

Akio sighed, getting to his feet. "It's okay, I'm not hurt by it. I know she's just been through a lot. Anyway, I'm gonna head home. If anything happens, call me, okay? I'll be here on the double."

Mari nodded, watching him leave before lying back on the floor, lifting up Suki by her tiny belly and chest in her palms, watching as Suki moved her tiny paws in a running motion and Mari giggled. "You're so cute and innocent. I wonder why it is that you're so picky with people, though. I guess I can understand hating Yumichika but Emiko and Akio are angels sent to me from heaven above... if it existed, anyway." Suki meowed and Mari set her down on her chest and she scuttled to Mari's chin, putting her paws on her face and licking her, leaving Mari giggling. Mari cuddled with Suki on the floor and she wasn't sure how long she laid there with her until her cell phone beeped with a message and she lifted Suki in one hand, getting to her feet and retrieving her phone with the other. She opened it up to see that it was a message from a classmate and she pressed OK to open it. It was an image.


	25. Chapter 25

Mari knew she had told him it was over yet the image she saw burned her to her very core and she grinded her teeth. Sakiko's eyes were narrowed, a vague smirk on her face and Yumichika's eyes were closed and his expression was relaxed, the kind of serenity she imaged settled on her face when she was kissing him. But instead he had that expression while his lips were pressed against Sakiko's and the anger that was welling up inside her was quickly melting into a deep sadness; so deep that she began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. She shut her phone and let it slip from her fingers and it hit the floor with a painful cracking sound but Mari's ears were ringing too loudly to hear it as she returned Suki to the table top. She walked slowly towards the kitchen and leaned against the counter, gazing at the set of knives organized on the counter and her finger tips brushed against the soft skin on the inside of her arm. The pain in her stomach and her chest was unbearable and heavy as if she was carrying weights inside her. He had officially lost interest and the photo was proof enough.

Mari had lost him; she'd lost his soft lavender eyes and the brush of his soft, sweet-smelling hair against her cheek when she hugged him and she'd lost the softness of his hand in hers and she'd lost the feel of kissing the inside of a rose when she kissed him. She'd lost all the sweet words, the only person who would steady her when she was close to breaking down and she'd lost the one person she thought she'd never lose. She lost the one person who was so desperate to be with her that he risked his very life against the law just to see her every day. She lost the hug and kiss she received every night before falling asleep and she'd lost the one that could help her sleep at night when nothing else could. When he was around, she felt genuinely happy and she wanted to help everyone and spread her own happiness around but now that he was gone, she felt as if her insides were decaying and she'd never be happy again. She felt uncontrollable hot tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping from her chin to the floor; Sakiko had won, that was evident. Mari lifted one of the knives, holding it to her skin; a regular weapon like this couldn't kill her and it would only damage her gigai but she would still feel the pain of it.

She gently brushed it against her wrist before pressing down and watching as the blood spilled from her wound and she could feel the stinging of it so much that it numbed her pain just a bit. She gave herself another two before her knees buckled and she fell to the floor in a ball of tears, sobbing to herself. She left the knife on the floor, hurrying quietly to the bedroom after noticing the time on the clock and she pulled on a sweatshirt, hoping Emiko wasn't awake enough to notice the blood on Mari's arm. Mari returned to the living room, wiping off her face until the tears finally stopped and her eye lashes dried and she gazed at the table with an empty expression on her face, ignoring Suki as she meowed at her from her lap. It wasn't long after when the door opened and, just as Mari expected, revealing Yumichika leading in Sakiko, who had the same bored look of contempt she always wore on her face. It bothered Mari more than usual, knowing she had kissed the lips Mari had been yearning for for days and she could still dare to look so bored. Sakiko sat down across from Mari at the table and Yumichika disappeared into the kitchen without a word.

Mari continued gazing at the table, even after Sakiko chuckled quietly, tilting her head to one side, an evil grin on her face. "Oh, Mari, you're pathetic. Let me guess... you got jumped by some guys today didn't you? It hurts... doesn't it?"

Mari's brow furrowed with realization and she lifted her gaze to her. "You're saying... _you_ were behind that?"

Sakiko laughed, careful to keep quiet so Yumichika wouldn't hear before letting her gaze fall on Mari again. "I knew you're too much of a weakling to fight them off. You're truly an idiot, Mari."

Mari's hands clenched to fists. "You're the lowest witch out there, Sakiko. You do realize that I wasn't the one who got jumped, right? It was Emiko. She's a regular human and she's got nothing to do with our little unnecessary quarrel and you dragged her into it. She's so afraid she doesn't even want to be touched."

Sakiko's smile disappeared from her face as she gazed at Mari with wide eyes. "Emiko? Oh, I... I didn't know..."

"Besides, you've already won. How do you expect me to continue on like this?"

Sakiko's brow furrowed. "What do you mean I've won? I won't have won until you feel the same way I felt and I know you won't until you've considered suicide. That's how low I felt, Mari. I want you to feel that way too. And then, I want to kill you myself. So I won't win until you're dead."

Mari looked away, getting to her feet. "Like I said, Sakiko, you've won." Sakiko said nothing as Mari led Suki into her bedroom, where Emiko was silently asleep and Mari shut the door, curling up on her side of the bed, tears spilling from her eyes. Sakiko had won.

Mari gazed at the window all night and Emiko continued to sleep until the next morning and she rolled out of bed just after Mari had heard Yumichika leave. Mari continued to gaze out as she listened to Emiko wash up in the bathroom before returning to the room. Mari turned to face her. "Emiko... I don't know how to tell you this but... I think it's time for me to go back home."

Emiko stiffened. "Go back home? Why?"

Mari sighed, gazing at her disappointed face. "Because... well... I don't know. I just feel like I'll be safer there, and plus I won't have to deal with Yumichika and Sakiko. I think it'd be best. If you need someone to talk to, don't be shy about contacting Akio. He's more fit to be your best friend anyway, since he's a much better person than I am."

Emiko shook her head. "No, I don't want that. Take me with you if you go! Please?"

Mari was quick to reject the offer. "I'm sorry, Emiko. Maybe I can see you on the other side one day. But only if you grow old and let yourself die of natural causes. Don't hurt yourself, okay?" Emiko gazed at Mari with a blank expression on her face as she watched Mari skirt the brim of the room and she opened the door. "Goodbye, Emiko." Mari slowly closed the door, feeling like a rag that had been drenched in water and just pulled out. Her heart was like a million weights in her chest and her feet and eyelids were like cinderblocks; she was running low on the energy to be awake even. Her gaze found her cell phone on the table and she lifted it up, opening it to see the same image she had seen the day before that had originally made her feel so depressed and she sighed deeply, closing the image and shutting her phone. She slunk out of the apartment and up to the stairs, climbing and climbing until there were no more stairs and they led to a door and she pushed it open and gazed up at the sky from the roof of the building, cracking her knuckles. She sat down in a corner, gazing up at the sky.

If she were gone, maybe Sakiko would spare Akio and Yumichika and allow them to return to the soul society and maybe Emiko's life would improve and she wouldn't have to worry as much about being assaulted by random thugs on her way home or to school. Suki could be adopted into a loving family that would treat her better than Mari ever did and everyone would live happily ever after. Mari gazed down at herself; she wasn't sure how to leave the gigai at all but she did know how to manifest her zanpakuto and she knew that it could harm her. She watched as it appeared in her lap and she slowly lifted it, unsheathing the blade and she gazed at her reflection in it before setting it down and lifting up her cell phone. She opened up a new message to Akio and she wrote, _'Hey, Akio, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me and I'm finally going to rid you of your burden today. Sorry for wasting your time. Goodbye.'_ and she hit the send button with tears in her eyes.

Mari lifted up her blade again, gazing at her teary eyed reflection, trying to imagine how her friends would react to her death but the thoughts were distorted by her depressed emotions and she could only imagine them living on happily yet part of her knew that wasn't accurate. Maybe they would be upset by it but it would be for the best if she were gone. She couldn't be the cause of everybody's problems if she were dead, now could she?

Mari gazed at her reflection, picturing everyone after her death for some long moments, in the meantime receiving a dozen calls from Akio that had gone ignored. Finally, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, holding the blade against her throat; the calls had stopped and she knew that meant he must be on his way so she needed to do it before he could stop her. She held it pressed into her skin until she imagined it actually slicing her open and she winced; anyone who'd find her body would find a mess of blood and gore along with her and she didn't want that. She instead aimed the tip of her sword at her heart, keeping her eyes squeezed closed and the moment she felt the tip of the blade prick her skin, she heard the door open and rushed footsteps so she hurriedly attempted to force it into her heart before Akio could stop her.

But the blade never went past her skin, never even deep enough to need more treatment than a band aid and the more she tried to force it in, the more she realized she couldn't and her eyes slowly opened. Instead of seeing Akio, her gaze found Yumichika, gazing at her with wide, tear filled eyes and he was kneeling down right in front of her in his school uniform, his hands clenching her blade and his blood was dripping on to her legs. Her eyes grew wide as she gazed at him and the surprise was so great that he managed to pull her sword from her hands and toss it aside before pulling her firmly into his arms and she could feel the wetness of his tears soaking into her shirt over her shoulder and the warmth of his blood over her sides. She let her hands fall to the floor, listening to his quiet sobs in her ear and she gazed blankly straight again, tears sliding down her own cheeks.

"Yumichika..." she murmured, "How... how did you find me here?"

She heard nothing but soft sobs for a few long moments before he murmured in response, "Akio called me and told me what you said to him. I couldn't find you in the apartment but I noticed that the door to the stairs was open and I found you up here."

Mari said nothing, continuing to gaze off into the distance before feeling a rush of anger and she put her hands on his shoulders, attempting to pry him off of her. "Wait a second, get off of me, you lying freak." He lifted his gaze to her in confusion and she gave him a glare. "You said you loved me and you pretended to be upset when I told you we were done but then you went off and kissed Misaki. Do you know how that made me feel, Yumichika? I thought my fears were confirmed and you were actually just pretending throughout our entire relationship because you pitied me and you were secretly happy when I said that. I started to wonder if maybe all of my current relationships were like that and everyone just pitied me because they knew I couldn't do any better and I figured that maybe if I killed myself, I'd make everyone feel okay again, just like you felt okay when we broke up. You never really loved me, did you, Yumichika?"

Yumichika's eyes grew wide as he withdrew his hands which were cut quite deeply and were still bleeding. "Mari, are you insane? Do you really think I could fake all of that? I _did_ love you and I told you that a million times. In fact, I _still_ love you. You're the most beautiful... you're amazing and I... I don't even know what to say anymore. What do you want me to say? You won't believe me anyway."

Mari sighed, looking away. "Why don't you just leave me alone? I'm sure _Misaki_ can give you everything I can't. She's much prettier than me and you seem to like her so much anyway. I'm sure you wouldn't be ashamed to show her off to your classmate friends or whatever."

Yumichika sighed deeply, rolling his eyes. "You're impossible, Mari."

Mari groaned, getting to her feet. "I truly don't understand how you could possibly sit there and be angry and insult me when I never did anything to you. All you've done since we got here is hurt me, yet you have the audacity to talk to me like you're the innocent one. Seriously, just leave me alone. You clearly don't actually want me here so just go tell Akio that you got here too late and leave; you don't have to feel obligated to 'rescue' me when I don't need rescuing."

Yumichika got to his feet as well, holding up his bloody hands. "If I only tried to stop you because I felt obligated to, I wouldn't have been so panicked that I grabbed your blade instead of realizing in time I could have just taken the hilt. Mari, really... Think about it, even if I _had_ faked everything, even then, I never would have wanted you dead. No one wants you dead."

Mari crossed her arms, looking away. "Misaki does."

"What are you talking about? Misaki might be mean to you but she doesn't want you dead."

Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "She's the whole reason we're in this mess anyway. All of this is intentional. You don't know her as well as you think you do."

"We're not talking about Misaki right now."

Mari clenched her hands into fists. "You don't love me, you're a liar. If you loved me as much as you say you did, then you wouldn't be defending her. _Constantly_ defending her like you know her when you don't. You shouldn't have gotten involved in this situation in the first place. Sometimes... sometimes I wish that I never did get my memories back. You'd be at home and I wouldn't be in so much pain and Akio would be okay. Emiko wouldn't have cried herself to sleep yesterday and she would probably be happy at home right now, getting ready for school."

Yumichika furrowed his brow. "Okay, first of all... what does Misaki have to do with Akio and Emiko? And second... do you really wish that you didn't get your memories back? Do you even remember how torturous that was for me? You're cruel if you really wish that."

Mari put both her fists to her cheeks, pouting. "Oh, boohoo, you little crybaby, do you want a tissue? That was in the past. You were different back then. _We_ were different back then. Back then, I worried about what we would eat for breakfast because I knew we would be eating together and I knew I'd wake up to a kiss and an 'I love you'. Now, I wake up to wearing a mini skirt in the cold to a big building full of people I can't stand, except for Emiko, and I don't even get a good morning. Most days you don't even say a word to me. Other than making me food, you usually just pretend I don't even exist. Do you know how much it hurts to have the only person you really, truly love above all else to just... _ignore_ you like that?"

Yumichika gazed at her blankly for a few long moments before softly saying, "You're right."

Mari narrowed her eyes before glancing left and right and then returning her gaze to him. "I'm right?"

Yumichika nodded. "Let's go get something to eat."

Mari scratched her head, furrowing her brow. "Why? Are you trying to trick me?"

He lifted his hands again, gazing at the blood that continued to spill. "I don't know. My hands hurt and I've lost a lot of blood. I'm kind of dizzy."

Mari nibbled on her lip; although she was angry with him she still loved him too much to let him bleed like this. She grasped his wrists gently. "Let's go inside and I'll get you bandaged up, okay? Then we can get something to eat."

He smiled at her nervously. "Well Akio is loaning us his car... let's just pick up some bandages on the way to any place you want to eat at and we'll have a wonderful day today. How does that sound?"

Mari gazed at him for a moment; he was lying. She knew it because if he had Akio's car, that meant that Akio must be here too. When Akio called Yumichika, he was most likely at or near school and Akio comes from the opposite direction of school and Yumichika had arrived too quickly to have stopped by Akio's house before. If Akio was here too, that meant they were trying to hide something from her and Yumichika seemed intent on taking her out; if that was the case then she wanted to pretend she believed him just so she could have him for herself again, just for today. She also trusted Akio's judgment and she knew that if he was hiding something from her, it was for her benefit. So, instead of objecting, she gave Yumichika a smile and nodded. "That sounds great."

Akio's hands were trembling as he stood outside of Mari and Yumichika's apartment, reaching for the doorknob and he squeezed his eyes closed as he grasped it, turning it and opening it quickly. His eyes opened slowly, afraid of what he'd see and he felt a bit relieved when it appeared to be vacant but he knew better than to be too relieved. He stepped inside, gazing around until he found Emiko standing in the kitchen, a half dead look on her face as she faced the sink, her hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"Emiko," he breathed, "what's wrong? Have you seen Mari? Do you know where she went?" Emiko turned towards him slowly and the knife in her hand opposite him became visible and he stiffened. "Emiko... what were you going to do with that knife?"

She gazed at him for a moment before lifting the knife and touching its side with one hand. "We're going to lose her, Akio. Who knows? Maybe we already have."

Akio's hands clenched into fists. "Did you see where she went? I can stop her before she does it, Emiko."

Emiko sighed, shaking her head. "You don't understand, Akio. You don't understand. You can't just stop her. She wants to leave us and if that's her choice, let's let her have it. But unfortunately, I... I need her at this point. If she leaves me, what will I do? I don't have many friends at school, my parents care more about their work than they do about me, and I can't survive in this society unless I have good grades but that's not what I want. Is there something wrong with me? All I want to do anymore is sleep and stay in bed. I hardly have the motivation to do anything. I'm supposed to be my parents' pride and joy, so they can go to every family party and _brag_ about how well I'm doing in school and leave out what little friends I have or how I can maintain my depression better than I can maintain a relationship."

Akio lifted his hands, his eyes wide as he gazed at her and his heart raced as images of Sakiko flashed through his mind; she was hurting too, just like Emiko. "Emiko... it's okay. You're okay. Don't... don't do this. Mari will be okay and so will you... okay? Right now, I'm not worried Mari will be hurt... I'm worried you will. I'll die before anything ever happens to Mari."

Emiko shook her head, a tear sliding down her cheek. He took a small step forward and she quickly brought the blade of the knife to her throat. "I sort of envy Mari because of her relationship with you. I wish I had someone who cared about me that much." Akio's hands in front of him clenched into fists as he gazed at her, desperately trying to think of something to say to stop her but all he could think of was Sakiko; he never knew what to say to her either. "I need you to do me a favor. I need you to tell Misaki and Yumichika that they're both scum and I'll never forgive them. And I need you to tell my parents that even though they hardly ever paid any attention to me, I loved them and I wish they would have taken a look at my paintings sometimes and talked to me about something other than school. Tell them that I'm sorry I let those assholes violate me and that I'm sorry I'm weak and that I'm sorry I'm not the daughter they wanted. And if you see Mari again... tell her that I love her, okay? That she was the best friend I've ever had and that she made me feel loved and special but maybe I got too attached. I don't know what I'd do without her and I know that even if she doesn't kill herself, she's going to have to leave me eventually and thinking about it scares me so much and just... I don't know."

"Emiko," Akio softly told her, "things _will_ improve and Mari _won't_ die and she _certainly_ won't want you dead, either. Let your time come and you can see her on the other side and by then, you can have all the time together that you want."

Emiko's gaze dropped to the floor. "I don't want to wait that long. I don't want to live. Goodbye, Akio. Thanks for trying."

Before Akio could say another word, Emiko was on the kitchen floor, the blood quickly spreading all over the floor. His hands were trembling as he gazed at her before slowly approaching her body, kneeling down beside her. "Emiko, you idiot. Thanks for leaving it to me to give your parents the worst news they'll ever have to hear and to tell your school that they need to tell the other students something so grim. I hope you're happy."

The door burst open and Yumichika rushed in, his face pale and his eyes wide, widening even more upon seeing Emiko's body. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," he sighed, "Go get to Mari. I think she's upstairs."

He nodded. "You'll take care of this?"

Akio nodded, turning to gaze at Emiko. "Yeah, I will." He watched as Yumichika rushed back out of the apartment before he returned his gaze to Emiko, sighing. "I wonder how long this is going to take." He got back to his feet and lifted up his cell phone, dialing 9-1-1 before telling them what Emiko had done and explaining where they lived and requesting an ambulance. Once he finished, he returned his gaze to Emiko. "I know Mari wants you to live through this. I know she does. Finding out what happened is going to break her heart; there isn't even any guarantee that you'll run into her on the other side."


	26. Chapter 26

Mari sat across from Yumichika at a cafe in downtown in a booth. She kicked her feet happily, careful not to kick him. They weren't speaking much but the random eye contact and giggles was enough to make Mari question why she had even wanted to end her own life. After she had finished her burger, she lifted her gaze to him and smiled.

"You know, this is great but I can't help but worry about Emiko. I wonder if she went to school or not today. I feel like I was the one who brought her down; she was a distinguished honor roll student with a 5.0 GPA and perfect attendance and the class president and ever since I showed up, everything has just gone downhill for her. She skips classes and she does drugs and I haven't seen her do her homework in days and what happened to her yesterday wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me."

Yumichika furrowed his brow. "What happened to her yesterday?"

Mari sighed, looking away. "Well... she was raped by these two thugs."

Yumichika eyed her as he took a sip from his drink, leaning back against the cushion of the booth. "How does that have anything to do with you?"

Mari sighed, scratching her arm, not wanting to bring Sakiko into the conversation out of fear of fighting with him again. "They... they went after me first and I got away and knowing they were still out there, I gave Emiko permission to skip school and come over." Her gaze dropped to her lap. "I'm a bad friend, aren't I? I should have walked her. That way I could have protected her."

Yumichika shook his head. "That's not your fault, Mari. None of it is. Please... don't blame yourself for what has happened or what... happens to Emiko. Okay?" He seemed nervous.

Mari swallowed, recalling what she had noticed on the rooftop of the apartment; the way he was trying to hide something. "Yumichika... did... did something happen?"

Yumichika gazed at her for a moment, with wide, frightened eyes when suddenly, a voice that frightened Mari even more than the way Yumichika looked sounded. "Oh, Yumichika, I didn't expect to see you here."

Sakiko approached, looking as beautiful as ever with the front of her hair pinned back into an expensive looking clip and she was dressed in a pretty sun dress that brought out her face more, which it was usually hidden behind her black hair. She was gorgeous, especially in comparison to Mari, who hadn't bathed in two days and hadn't slept the night before and was still wearing the school uniform that she'd put on the day before. "Oh... Misaki," Yumichika's gaze went from Mari to Misaki and back again and he seemed confused about how to feel. His voice sounded neutral.

Misaki gave him a bright smile, completely ignoring Mari. "I thought we had a date today but you suddenly ditched school earlier. What happened?" Her gaze slowly moved to Mari. "Oh, is that you, Mari? I didn't recognize you underneath all that grease and that mop you call hair. Did you score a date with Yumichika? Well, you shouldn't have. I'm sure you've heard he's currently dating the most popular girl out of us third year students."

She gave Mari a passive aggressive smile that said 'me' and Mari sighed, pushing her plate towards the middle of the table, getting to her feet. Yumichika seemed uneasy with Misaki's words but he wouldn't speak and he wouldn't meet Mari's gaze. "Then you can have your boyfriend. I was just leaving anyway."

As she passed, Yumichika grasped her arm, a panicked look on his face. "Uh, Mari, wait." Mari turned and Misaki had a puzzled look on her face, gazing at Yumichika as if he had just pulled a rabbit out of his hat. "Um... are you full? Let's go for a walk, okay? I don't think you should go home just yet."

Mari sighed. "Is this because of what happened? I'm over that, Yumichika. This was nice of you and all but Misaki seems to think you're her property or something."

Yumichika shook his head, speaking before Misaki could. "It's not that... let's just go for a walk, okay? I just want to talk for a bit."

Mari sighed, nodding. "Okay, I guess."

He looked relieved, getting to his feet. "Sorry, Misaki. I need to take care of something. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He paid for the food hurriedly, as if Mari would leave if he didn't rush when Misaki spoke. "Is that money Mari's too? I mean I know you're broke and all."

Yumichika gazed at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Misaki shrugged, twirling a lock of her perfectly straight, jet black hair around her finger. "Didn't you use Mari's money to pay for the wedding ring you gave her? Seeing how she's wealthy and everything."

Yumichika furrowed his brow. "Why would I do that? That wouldn't make sense. I paid for it. I mean... I had some help from Akio but it was mostly my money, not hers. This is my money too."

Misaki's brow rose. "Oh. I see. Well, don't forget to call me later."

Yumichika put his hands on Mari's shoulders, walking her ahead of him out of the cafe, glancing back. "What was that? How does she know about your family?"

Mari met Sakiko's gaze through the window as she walked at Yumichika's side. "She's... a good detective, apparently." She didn't want to bring up the fight she'd had with her in the locker room the day she'd taken the rings; it seemed so long ago.

Yumichika slid his hands into his pockets. "So, is there any place you want to go?"

Mari shrugged. "I don't really care."

"Then is just walking okay with you?"

Mari nodded. "If that's all there is to do, then yeah." She fiddled with her thumbs, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Um... I don't know what you and Akio are hiding from me, but if it's something bad, I'm going to try to enjoy our time together as much as possible."

Yumichika gave her a forced, nervous smile. "Uh... yeah."

Mari's gaze glued to the floor. "So... how have things been?"

Yumichika shrugged. "I don't know. It sort of feels like I'm not really in control of things anymore. What about you?"

Mari nodded. "Me too. I've just been trying to cope, you know? I wish we never had to come here. Aside from the situation with Haruki, everything back home was perfect." Mari's hands clenched into fists. "I miss spending nights at your house and I miss waking up to you in your bed and eating breakfast with you and I miss Ikkaku just walking in all the time and telling you when you had a mission and I miss training with you by the river and I miss when you could cry in front of me and I miss when we would always run away to get away from the only thing in between us which was my family. It seems like years ago. I was just falling in love with you, the first time I'd ever truly loved and been loved and it felt really good and I never wanted to let go of that feeling. Now I still love you but most of the time I just feel numb because if I think about it, I'll get depressed because I had you and she stole you away from me. I know you used to love me but maybe because I questioned it before, karma took it away from me."

Yumichika was silent for a long time and she lifted her gaze to him slowly, to see the pained, longing expression on his face and he sighed, lifting his gaze to her. "I miss it all too... so much. But please know that I never stopped loving you. I still love you even know. I just feel so confused and...sometimes my mouth says things that I don't mean and my body does things that I don't want. It's strange... this has never happened to me before. I feel like I'm not in control of myself. But I do love you, okay? I didn't rush up to the rooftop because I felt obliged to; I did it because I felt so panicked at what Akio told me you were going to do that I could feel my blood pumping and I could hear my own heartbeat and I couldn't control my breathing and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I was so afraid I wouldn't make it in time that I was sitting in class and I just got up and left the room to go find you. I was so afraid, Mari."

Mari fiddled with her thumbs, gazing at her feet. "I didn't think you cared. I saw that picture of you and Misaki kissing and I thought you had lost interest in me."

Yumichika grasped her hand tightly. "I don't think I could ever lose interest in you."

Mari continued gazing at her feet before very slowly lifting it towards him, feeling her heart race. "Can you kiss me then?"

He looked away from her, a nervous expression on his face. "I'm sorry... I don't think I can."

Mari returned her gaze to the floor, withdrawing her hand from his and crossing her arms instead. "I can't believe you can't see what she's doing to you. It's disgusting."

Yumichika sighed. "Can we... not talk about this? I want to avoid arguing for once. Please?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "Well what do you want to talk about? The weather?"

"Anything," he breathed, "we could talk about anything you want to talk about and I'll be happy."

Mari gave him a small smile. "I appreciate it but no matter how well things go today, I know that whenever what's going on blows over, you're going to go back to Misaki and she's going to take you away from me again. Maybe it's best that I don't get my hopes up, okay?"

Yumichika sighed, looking away, his eyes sad. He slid his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number before pressing it to his ear and it wasn't long before he was returning it to his pocket. "Akio said that you can go back home. You look like you haven't had much sleep; you should get some rest."

Mari eyed him. "You're not going to tell me what all this was about?"

He shook his head. "Uh, I think it's best you don't hear it from me, seeing how you don't really seem like you want to talk to me."

Mari's brow went up. "Thanks for understanding."

The walk home was silent and Mari was beginning to feel afraid at what the news was, seeing the incredibly nervous expression shadowing his face throughout the walk and it worsened when they arrived. He gave her a nervous wave, which she returned before going up to the apartment and gazing around; it was quiet so Akio must have gone home. Mari explored slowly, looking for any sign of anything different but finding nothing and not even the furniture was the slightest bit crooked. She reached the kitchen and gazed around slowly; it had a certain darker aura in it yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She knelt to the floor and gazed at it carefully to see that it was spotless, aside from the slightly red tint between the tiles and she got to her feet with a sigh, entering her bedroom and closing the door. She changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed beside Emiko, facing away from her as Emiko was facing away as well.

"Emiko," she murmured, "my heart is broken."

"Mine is too," Emiko softly responded, "Mari, I didn't think it'd be like this. I went to go see my parents but they couldn't see me and they were crying together on the couch, looking at a family photo. I always thought they didn't care about me much but seeing the way their faces looked broke my heart so much. And I thought I'd go immediately but I've been walking around outside and people can't see me like I'm a ghost. At first, I thought I was stuck but I saw other people like me too. They all seemed so sad." Emiko sat up in bed and Mari heard the rattling of a chain, breaking her heart even more until she was in tears, forcing herself to turn to look at her, seeing the chain coming from her chest. "You have to help me, Mari. I can't do this anymore."

Mari gazed at Emiko for a long moment, wondering if this was just a dream or if she was really gazing at her best friend with a chain coming from her chest. She leaned forward and squeezed Emiko in a hug as tightly as she could hold her. "I'm sorry, Emiko, but I don't know if you'll ever see your parents again. But I promise you that when I get back home, I _will_ find you. I will search that place top to bottom to find you and I will because I have a big name back home and I get what I want. But you're going to have to be patient until then."

Emiko nodded. "Anything, just please… take me out of this place. I wanna leave because I don't feel at peace here."

Mari slowly nodded as she manifested her zanpakuto and the end glowed as she lifted it. "I'll see you soon, Emiko."

Emiko pouted. "Please don't take long."

Mari smiled through her tears. "Of course not, Emiko. I promise." Mari gazed at Emiko for a long moment, taking the image of her in because she wanted to memorize her face and the way her hair fell and the way her eye brows arched and the way her voice sounded so she would have something to get her by. She smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes but they were instantly replaced. "You chose a very bad time to do this, Emiko. Usually you always get things done just in time but not this time."

Emiko chuckled, shaking her head as tears dripped from her chin. "I'm sorry, Mari. I should have waited, shouldn't I? Now I can't help you through anything, can I?"

Mari shook her head. "The thought of you will help me because I know you care about me." Emiko watched as Mari lifted the end of her sword towards her. "Goodbye, Emiko, but not forever."

Emiko smiled. "Goodbye."

Mari pressed the glowing end of her zanpakuto to Emiko's forehead and Emiko glowed with it before it transferred her to the soul society and Mari gazed at the spot where Emiko had been before crumbling into her bed, hugging her blanket. She wished for improvement before she would take the same path as Emiko; next time, she might not be so lucky to have Yumichika stop her and the thought truly scared her. She knew the way the feeling overcame her last time that she truly would have done it had he not showed up and she knew that, because nobody had forcefully stopped her, Emiko had to live with that regret for the rest of her existence. And Mari had to live knowing that the only reason Emiko had tried was because of her.

Mari sat up again, picking up her cell phone and dialing Akio's number and once he answered, she spoke. "Akio, please come pick me up. I can't stay in this apartment any longer. Please."

"What's wrong?" Akio's voice was sincere but she could hear it that he knew exactly what she was upset about. "Where do you want me to take you?"

"Anywhere," she sniffled, "Just not here. Take me to your place or something, I don't care. I'll even sleep at the bus station at this rate."

There was a pause before Akio answered, "Okay. I'll be there as quick as I can."

"Hurry." Mari hung up the phone, setting it down before getting to her feet, letting the tears slide down her cheeks as she entered the bathroom. She undressed, her clothes falling to her feet as she filled the bathtub with hot water and sitting in it, cleaning herself before tilting her head back and gazing at the ceiling, the tears still spilling from her eyes. It felt good to bathe, despite her heart aching over Emiko and Emiko's parents and Yumichika and Sakiko. Her whole body ached as she tried to imagine how Emiko's parents felt; she didn't even want to think about it but she knew she had to. It was her fault that it happened and she needed to face it. After deciding what she had to do, she climbed out of the tub, her body feeling heavy and weak and she forced herself to put on clothes before stepping out of the bathroom to find Akio sitting at the table, gazing at the wall across from him.

He turned upon hearing the bathroom door open and gave Mari a weak smile before looking away. "I'm so sorry, Mari," he sighed, "It's my fault this happened."

Mari cocked her head to one side, approaching and sitting down beside him. "How is it your fault?"

He buried his face into his hands. "I came in here looking for you, and I found her in the kitchen with a knife. I tried to talk her out of it but... I couldn't. You know I'm not good at that kind of thing, which is part of the reason why I called Yumichika. If I hadn't called him, I probably would have lost her and you."

Mari shook her head, sighing. "It's not at all your fault. It's my fault, actually. She did it because of me. I know she did."

Akio rubbed his eyes before dropping his hands to his lap and gazing at the table. "She wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

"I spoke to her," Mari answered, "Just before I called you, actually. She was a konpaku so I performed a konso on her and she went to the soul society. Of course I made it clear to her that I'd never stop searching until I found her."

Akio nodded. "Of course. And I'll help."

Mari returned his nod before getting to her feet. "Can we leave now? This place is cursed. Emiko died in here and my heart broke in here. I'll get Suki, if you don't mind."

Akio got to his feet as well and Mari rushed to the bedroom, putting Suki in a travel cage from her bed and she gathered her necessities and rushed out to meet Akio at the door, following him out and downstairs and outside. She climbed into the passenger's seat of his car, buckling her seatbelt and sitting back as they drove silently to a different apartment building a few blocks away, probably a fifteen minute walk. Once they arrived, she silently followed him inside and upstairs to his apartment, where he led her in. It was about the same size as hers and Yumichika's, but the set up was a bit different with the kitchen along the right wall instead of just around the right corner and the bathroom and bedroom on the left wall; the back wall was nearly completely windows. It was a pretty apartment. Mari took a deep breath as Akio stepped forward.

"You can sleep in the room," he told her, "I have a mat I can sleep on out here. Make yourself at home."

Mari nodded slowly before stepping inside and going into the bedroom, shutting the door. She organized Suki's things before climbing into the bed, gazing at the ceiling, feeling exhausted but she knew sleeping would be difficult. If only Yumichika were around to give her comfort, then she knew she would sleep easily. She lifted up the blanket and gazed down at herself before moving her own hand into her shorts and her panties and she tilted her head back, imagining Yumichika being with her. She bit her lip and forced herself to control her breathing when she heard Akio knocking on the door.

"Mari, are you awake? I need to get the mat and some sleeping clothes." Mari didn't respond and she couldn't bring herself to stop either, not until the door opened and she slowly removed her hand, turning to face him and sitting up. "Oh," he blushed, "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, I thought you were asleep. I'll just go... wait out there. Um... let me know when I can come in."

He turned away and Mari jumped to her feet. "Wait, Akio," she quickly called and he froze without turning his head. "Akio," she murmured, "stay here. Give me comfort." When he didn't respond, she undressed and held on to her own waist against the sudden chill against her skin. "Akio... please. I need you right now. I don't have Yumichika anymore and... I'm not happy. Please." He was still silent and she took a step towards him, beginning to feel desperate. "Akio, look at me. Look at me, please." He slowly turned his head and his eyes were a mix of longing and pain, as if he wanted to but he knew it was wrong. Mari approached him and hugged his waist from behind. "Akio... I just want you to stay with me just for tonight, okay? I need you."

She tucked her hand into his pants and he quickly grasped her wrist, withdrawing her hand and turning to face her. "Fine," he answered quickly before eyeing her. "You know you really are a lot like your sister. She needed _comfort_ a lot when she was hurting too."

Mari gave him a fake smile before taking his wrist and pulling him back with her. "Let's not talk about my sister, okay?"


	27. Chapter 27

Mari slept through the night, feeling a bit better, having slept with Akio, and she sat up the next morning, stretching and scratching her head. Carefully, she climbed out of bed so as not to wake Akio before taking a quick shower and putting on her school uniform. She started the coffee machine and made breakfast for two and Akio was awake just in time for it to be done and she sat down beside him, giving him a smile.

"You should feel lucky, considering I never made breakfast for Yumichika, at least not since we got here." She frowned, gazing at the plate in front of her. "But then again, I was never up early enough to make him anything." She lifted her gaze to him, giving him a smile. "I got enough sleep last night, though. Partly because I didn't sleep the night before but I think the _favor_ you did me had a lot to do with it."

Akio had a sad expression on his face, picking at his food. "Mari, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but let's never do that again." Her smile slipped into a frown and he sighed. "I'm glad it helped you so much but I feel like that was for all the wrong reasons. I know you love Yumichika, and I'm still in love with Saki. I feel a little better too but we shouldn't have done that." He eyed her nervously from the corner of his eye. "Believe me, it was good. It was great, actually. I don't think I'll ever forget it. But it was a one-time thing, okay? It has to be just a one-time thing."

Mari took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay." She ate without speaking anymore before getting to her feet, pulling her bag over her shoulder and drinking her coffee in a few gulps. "I have to get to school. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," he responded, continuing to eat slowly at the table.

Mari sighed, turning away and closing the door as she slowly walked to the elevator, taking it down to the first floor. Should she regret what they had done together? Because it was one of the best decisions she had ever made, yet the way he was acting told her to regret it. She nibbled on her lip, walking to school, unsure if she was ready to face Yumichika and Sakiko again and the thought even made her nervous. What if Yumichika and Sakiko had slept together before as well? Her stomach clenched and she turned down a street, veering in the opposite direction of her school and she walked quickly, her gaze glued to her feet. She'd made the decision to do this while she was in the bath the day before and she knew it was necessary, yet she felt numb and her heart ached. Before she knew it, she was on Emiko's porch, gazing at her finger as it pressed the doorbell.

It wasn't long before Emiko's father answered the door, wearing his pajamas and his hair was messy as if he just got out of bed, his eyes pink and puffy. "O-oh, it's Mari," he slowly said before clearing his throat and stepping aside, "Come in."

Mari nodded before stepping inside. Emiko's mother was seated at the dinner table, looking as if she hadn't slept in days and she gave Mari a weak smile. "Oh, Mari, it's good to see you."

"Um... you too," Mari stammered before approaching and sitting across from Emiko's mother. "I just... I just wanted to see how you two were doing. Sorry for dropping by so suddenly, and I... I'm sorry about... _her_."

Emiko's mother shook her head as her father sat down beside her. "Don't apologize," she insisted, "None of it was your fault." She gazed at her hands on the table, sighing. "It was just... such a shock. She always seemed so happy and she was definitely going somewhere in life. She was... she was _everything_." Mari clenched her hands into fists under the table as tears fell from Emiko's mother's eyes. "I should have spent more time with her. It's my fault. She always wanted to talk and I was always too busy for her. I should have known it was hurting her."

Mari quickly shook her head. "No, you're wrong. None of it was your fault, either. I don't know if you knew this, but... Emiko... Emiko was at my apartment when it happened." Both of their eyes lifted to her in a second and Mari dug her nails into the palms of her hands to keep herself from getting too nervous. "The day before, Emiko was... attacked by these two guys and they... violated her. She spent the night at my house because she said you two were away and she didn't want to sleep alone. She was already scared and upset at that point. See it _is_ my fault because... before she even had considered doing something like that, I already was. As a matter of fact, I had already planned to. I told her I was going back to where I came from and she figured out what I really meant but I was too blinded by my own problems to figure it out. I went up to the rooftop of my building and I tried to do it, but Yumichika stopped me. At that point... she was already gone. She relied on me and I let her down. She was in pain and I wasn't paying any attention to her or what she might have been going through. I'm sorry... I'm so, so, _so_ sorry."

Emiko's mother got to her feet without a word, going into a room and closing the door behind her. Mari buried her face into her hands, trying her best to fight the tears away. "Mari," Emiko's father spoke quietly, "it's not solely your fault. Everyone played a part in this, and it's just upsetting to hear, that's why she walked away. Thanks for stopping by but if you don't hurry, you'll be late for school."

Mari nodded, getting to her feet. "Thanks for having me. I wasn't sure you would want any visitors."

He gave her a weak smile, showing her to the door and holding it open for her. "Have a good day," he murmured and the look on his face told her that he had said that to Emiko whenever he saw her off to school in the mornings.

Mari nodded. "You too," she told him before stepping outside and returning to the path she was walking on before. She fiddled with her thumbs upon reaching school; for once, she wasn't late. If only Emiko were around to see. She sighed, her gaze falling to the floor as she wondered what Emiko could be doing or where she could possibly be, or where she landed in the rukongai. She couldn't help but wonder if she had befriended anyone yet or if she was even near civilization at all or not. By the time she decided now was not the time to wonder, she found herself in the classroom, gazing at all the students whispering and looking at her. She ignored them, going to her seat, noticing that Yumichika hadn't arrived yet but Sakiko was there, looking as smug as usual as she approached Mari and leaned on to her desk.

"I'm surprised you made it to school today," Sakiko pointed out, "If _my_ best friend had just died, I wouldn't be at school." Mari ignored her as she withdrew her notebook and a pencil from her bag, setting them on her desk. "Or maybe you saw her last night? After she died?"

Mari continued to ignore what she was saying, glancing back at Yumichika's vacant desk. "How come your boyfriend isn't here today? Did you finally decide to consume him and absorb his power?"

Sakiko rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd know. You do sleep in his apartment, anyway."

Mari's brow went up as she eyed Sakiko. "Actually, I spent the night at Akio's." She observed Sakiko's face going from smug to pained.

"You did?" Sakiko slowly asked, "Um... did you guys... do anything?"

Mari laughed, shaking her head. "That's none of your business. As a matter of fact, I'm offended that you'd ask me, considering you stole the guy that I'm in love with so maybe it's only fair I do the same to you."

Sakiko furrowed her brow, looking away. "You've got it all mixed up. I'm not in love with him, he's the one in love with me."

Mari smiled. "Are you sure about that, Sakiko? Is it me you're trying to convince or is it yourself?" When Sakiko didn't respond, Mari clicked the end of her pencil so that lead was coming out from the end. "After you've slept with Akio, probably a million times, you must be disappointed with Yumichika." She eyed Sakiko. "Yumichika's great and all but I think we both know now how... _well-endowed_ Akio is." Sakiko's jaw clenched and she gave Mari a deafening slap on the cheek, drawing the attention of the entire class and Mari took it as an opportunity. Tears filled Mari's eyes as she gazed at her with wide eyes, touching her cheek. "I'm _sorry,_ Misaki," she said, loud enough for the class to hear, "I know you didn't like Emiko but she was my _best friend_ and she just _died_, for Christ's sake. Give me a break if I'm offended by the way you're talking about her."

Someone Mari had never said a word to rushed over and wrapped her arms around her shoulders while someone else in the back of the class uttered, "You're sick, Misaki. The girl just died. Ever wonder if maybe you bullying her had something to do with it?"

Sakiko clenched her jaw, giving Mari a cold glare before she turned away, sitting in her seat. The bell rang and the teacher entered, settling everyone down.

After school, Mari sighed, walking very slowly towards her apartment, gazing at her feet as she nervously wondered what she'd say. Suddenly her feet were going the opposite direction and she forced herself to turn back around before sighing and sliding her phone out of her bag, dialing a number and pressing it to her ear.

It went to voicemail after a few rings. "Hey, Yumichika... I just wanted to talk, okay? I just lost my best friend and I need you right now... if that's okay. I feel so alone and I still love you. Call me back. Bye." She hung up the phone and returned it to her bag, beginning to walk towards the apartment again, forcing herself not to look back.

Mari arrived at the building, taking a deep breath as she went upstairs to their floor and standing outside the apartment, nibbling on her lip. Once she began tasting blood, she turned away, taking out her cell phone again and dialing his number except this time, she didn't leave a message when it went to voicemail. She sighed, knocking on the door and waiting outside, receiving no answer and she clenched the doorknob, resting her forehead against the wooden door.

"Yumichika, are you in there?" When there was no answer, she continued anyway, "Please... I just want to talk to you. You're the only person who ever listened to my problems and actually cared... well, besides Emiko. After yesterday, you probably don't want to talk to me ever again because of what I tried to do and I understand that but I have no one else to talk to and I miss you _so_, so much and I will _destroy_ Sakiko for tearing us apart and I don't know how you feel about her in comparison to how you feel about me but I _love_ you. It's been killing me to pretend I'm not still crazy about you just to please that wicked witch." Her hands clenched to fists against the door. "Please answer me if you love me as much as you say you do."

There was a long silence and Mari closed her eyes, figuring he wouldn't answer when she finally heard his voice. "It's ironic because I missed you so I went out to get some of your favorite foods, thinking that maybe it would make me feel a little better and I came back to find a gift at my door." Mari turned to face him to see that he was in sweat pants and a t-shirt, carrying a bag in one hand and the apartment key in the other. "Who is Sakiko?"

Mari pursed her lips, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. Why weren't you at school today?"

He eyed her uniform, unlocking the door. "I didn't think you'd go, so I didn't see a point in it." After he unlocked the door, he opened it for her and she stepped in, sliding off her shoes before watching him take off his, shutting the apartment door before going into the kitchen, Mari following closely behind. He set the bag on the counter before turning to her. "Where'd you sleep last night?"

"Akio's place," Mari answered calmly, "It wasn't because of you or anything. Just... after finding out about Emiko, I didn't feel comfortable sleeping here." She watched as he turned back to the bag and retrieved a couple of plates, withdrawing a Styrofoam box and opening it. "I sent her to the soul society myself. When we go back, I promised her I'd find her."

Yumichika took out two pairs of chopsticks and spooned the chicken and noodles out of the box and into each plate. "Mari..." Mari gazed at him, trying to read his expression to find any kind of emotion to no avail. "Sakiko is Misaki isn't it?" Mari's hands clenched but she didn't react otherwise. "And she's from the soul society, right? And you knew all along, that's why you hated her so much."

Mari felt as if an intense weight lifted from her heart at his words and she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek. "I'm so happy you know now," she breathed, "She's our enemy, Yumichika. She's working with Haruki and we came here to _avoid _her; she has more of an influence than Haruki. She's the one telling him what to do."

Yumichika took a deep breath, leaning against the counter as he rubbed his eyes, a tired look on his face. "I'm sorry, Mari. I believe you, but... I can't say anything. She's doing something to me and I didn't realize it until I saw you with the tip of your sword seconds away from piercing your heart. When I panicked so much, I kept wondering why, if I really did like Misaki so much, why did the thought of never seeing you again make me want to end my _own_ life? Then I realized that I don't really like her and it's all artificial and I could tell the entire time that she never actually had feelings for me either. She's trying to hurt you, isn't she?"

Mari nodded slowly. "Yeah, she is. She's my sister, Yumichika." He lifted his wide eyes to her. "She's my sister and she wants me dead. Her and Haruki are just manipulating each other and it's hurting everyone. Akio is just as emotionally invested as I am, considering he's in love with her."

Yumichika's eyes grew even wider. "He's in _love_ with her? Wait a second, we talked about this before we came here, didn't we? This is what jogged your memory."

Mari nodded. "Yeah, so we need to stop the wicked witch before she manages to kill someone else after Emiko." Yumichika nodded, lifting both plates and leading her to the table, setting them side-by-side so that they could sit next to each other. Mari sat down beside him, picking up her chopsticks and picking at her food. "You know I went to see Emiko's parents today." Yumichika lifted his gaze to her and she sighed. "They're both a wreck. You can tell they weren't able to sleep and they both looked like they'd cried enough tears to fill a lake. I felt awful walking in there. I told them exactly what happened yesterday and I walked out of their house resolved to kill Sakiko. She's ruined enough already. I wish she would just stop."

Yumichika shook his head slowly. "I'm not defending her but what does she have to do with what happened to Emiko?"

Mari took a deep slow breath, turning her head so that she was facing him. "You know those guys who attacked her? She was the one who put them up to it. Sakiko was attacked in the soul society, which was what made her life go downhill and she wanted them to attack me as payback. When they couldn't, they attacked Emiko. I don't think Sakiko expected it but if she hadn't tried to do it in the first place, Emiko never would've gotten attacked. It broke her down a lot, you could see it on her face, even. It killed me to see her like that and I was selfish to become so absorbed in my own problems to ignore hers. I know it wasn't just Sakiko's fault but I also know that if she hadn't done what she did, that never would've happened."

Yumichika nibbled on his food, furrowing his brow. "I didn't know that."

Mari nodded, her brow raised. "That's because you haven't listened to a word I've said about her until now." Mari took a bite, savoring the taste because although it was store bought, Yumichika got it with her in mind and that made it taste so much better. "Do you still not believe me about the thing with the rings?"

Yumichika shook his head. "Actually... I saw her with the rings. She wore them once and I saw them in her room at one point. I just never said anything about it because I couldn't. She forced me on her side."

Mari narrowed her eyes at him. "You've been in her room?"

He chuckled sheepishly. "We didn't do anything so don't worry. The most I've done is kiss her and it was only one time anyway." Mari felt a sudden wave of guilt come over her for what she'd done with Akio but she just looked away, continuing to eat. After a few minutes of silence other than the sound of chewing, he asked, "Mari, is it my fault, what happened yesterday?"

Mari furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about? Do you mean with Emiko?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean with you. I saw the picture on your phone... you know, of me and Misaki kissing. It was on the floor and I saw it so I opened it and that picture was the first thing I saw. Then the next day, you did that. I felt so awful coming up those stairs, thinking I broke you."

Mari chewed slowly, gazing at her hands. "I'm not broken. I wasn't. I'm not an object that can be just snapped like that," she told him, "I was hurt, though. I was sad but I wasn't broken."

Yumichika wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her close to him and kissing her head. "Even if you were sad, it still hurts me to think that it was my fault."

Mari took a deep breath, closing her eyes, feeling him so close to her. He smelled good and his skin was warm against hers and it felt good to feel any of his kisses on any part of her body. "You're so important to me though," she murmured, "I didn't even realize how important you are to me until I thought I had officially lost you. It made me feel so... worthless. I don't remember who I was without you." Mari chuckled, shaking her head. "This is so unhealthy and not romantic at all. I shouldn't be so dependent on you, to the point where I couldn't function adequately without you. There's something wrong with me."

Yumichika kissed her again before releasing her to let her eat, giving her a smile. "If we're both equally and unhealthily dependent on each other, then I think it's okay."

Mari chuckled. "Then I guess we're both freaks."

He flashed another smile before they began eating in silence for a bit. "How was school today?"

Mari shrugged. "It was alright. I finally got to Misaki today." Mari bit her lip, remembering what had upset Misaki so much to begin with in the classroom, realizing that she shouldn't have brought it up. "We went back and forth a bit trying to insult each other and she lost it and smacked me in front of everybody. I made them think that it was because I stood up to her for talking badly about Emiko. They sympathized with me, of course. I figured that's how we humans are; always glorifying the dead, right?"

Yumichika nodded. "You're right." He lifted his gaze to her. "You don't really realize how much you love someone until you can't have them anymore, right?"

She met his gaze, raising her brow. "Bold words coming from you, considering _I_ was the one who got ditched."

He sighed, returning to his food. "You know it was because of her. I never wanted any of this either."

Mari reached over and touched his hand. "Stay away from her, Yumichika." He lifted his gaze to her. "You can finally see through what she's doing to you and I don't want to risk losing you again. Stay away from her."

They locked gazes in silence when there was a knock on the door. Yumichika moved as if he would get it but Mari jumped to her feet before he could, afraid it would be Sakiko again and she got to her toes, peering through the hole to see Akio. She heaved a sigh of relief, opening the door.

"I'm glad it's you," Mari smiled, "I was afraid it would be Sakiko. You know Yumichika is starting to break free of her spell."

Akio's brow rose. "Well... actually, I ran into her in the lobby. She was gonna come up here to see you two."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Oh, well good thing you sent her home then. You_ did_ send her home, right? I don't want her around Yumichika."

Akio smiled, looking away. "Well, I sort of..."

He trailed off, his eyes wandering when another voice sounded behind him. "It's too bad you don't because I'm here anyway." Before Mari could react, Akio stepped to the side, revealing Sakiko standing there looking smug and Mari clenched the doorknob, preparing to shut it when Sakiko stepped into the doorway. "You said Yumichika is starting to break free of my spell, is that it?" Mari said nothing, settling for a glare at her and Sakiko pushed past her. "So you know everything then?"

Yumichika gave her half a glance before nodding. "I do. Can you leave now? We were trying to eat."

Sakiko's brow went up and she cocked her head to one side. "It _is_ broken. It must be time, then." She gave Mari and Akio each a gorgeous smile before going to the window and opening it, stepping aside. "See, the spell that was on Yumichika cannot just be 'broken'. The caster must be the one to break it. That's the only way out of that spell."

Mari crossed her arms. "So what are you saying? Haruki freed him from the spell?"

Sakiko gave them another smile before reaching a hand out the window and giving a wave. Akio tightly grasped Mari's wrist, pulling her close to him protectively after he'd left his gigai, holding up his zanpakuto. "Yumichika, get back."

Yumichika was at his feet by the time a few of the souls they'd encountered before with the white eyes appeared holding up their swords. Mari's hands clenched to fists as Akio pulled her back so that her back was to his chest but he held his sword in front of her. She lifted her chin, giving Sakiko a glare. "You were the one behind these freaks?"

Sakiko laughed, leaning against the windowsill. "Of course I was. It's a shame you killed Mai. I didn't think you could."

Mari furrowed her brow. "Who's Mai?"

Sakiko smiled. "She was one of our allies and she was very skilled too. She led a group of our friends to you to defeat you and I thought we'd win; I was mistaken." She put her fingertip to her lip, holding out her hand when Haruki appeared to grasp it. "This time we _will_ win. This place is stuffy. Haruki, let's go to the rooftop."

He nodded and they both vanished. "Don't worry, Mari," Akio told her, "This won't take long to finish." Yumichika stepped towards them, taking Mari's hand as Akio approached the enemies, fighting them all at once.


	28. Chapter 28

"Yumichika," Mari gasped, "we can't let him fight all four of them at once! Let's help him."

He nodded. "Of course." He handed her what looked like a gumball and she watched as he swallowed his, releasing him from his gigai and she did the same, taking a deep breath.

"It feels like I was just released from prison," Mari sighed.

Yumichika nodded, grasping the hilt of his zanpakuto. "We'll discuss that later though. We have other things to take care of."

Mari unsheathed her zanpakuto at her hip and she held it up before jumping to Akio's defense, decapitating the first one she jumped towards, watching as Akio slashed through two of them with one hit and Yumichika took care of the last one. "Let's go to the roof."

Akio furrowed his brow, grasping her wrist to keep her from moving. "I don't know if it's a smart idea to just go up there. I mean, they told us they were going up there. What if they're planning something?"

Yumichika stepped forward. "I'll go ahead of you two and make sure it's safe."

Mari shook her head. "No. We'll all go together."

"I'll go ahead," Akio interrupted, "I'm the assigned guardian, anyway. I can't have someone else get hurt doing my job while I stand by and watch."

"No, no," Mari shook her head again more rapidly, "no, we're all going together. No one's going alone. No one's going alone."

Akio touched her shoulder. "Mari, I need to protect you."

Mari shook her head. "You can't protect me if you die! We're all going together. That's an _order_."

Akio met Yumichika's gaze before Yumichika reached over and gathered Mari in his arms as Akio jumped out of the window, Yumichika following behind, carrying Mari as she struggled to break free from his grasp. They reached the rooftop and Mari was relieved when Yumichika set her down on her feet beside Akio, relieved that nobody had gotten hurt yet. Sakiko stood beside Haruki, a smirk on her face while Haruki looked indifferent. "Took you guys long enough. Did those freaks really hold you up that long?"

Mari's hands clenched to fists. "Sakiko, explain to me how it's my fault that our family deemed you unfit to be our head. What have _I_ done to deserve punishment? More importantly, why do Akio and Yumichika have to get involved in this? Yumichika's not even related to our family in any way."

Sakiko's brow rose. "Yes, but he's related to _you_ and that's the most important thing. Don't you see, Mari? If I take away your life, that _does_ hurt the Suzuki clan in more ways than one. Do you think people are going to want to get involved with our clan after finding out that the head family has entirely vanished, or are proven dead?" She grinned, grasping Haruki's sleeve. "What do you think, Haruki? Should we leave a bloody mess in the middle of our clan barracks like we did with my mother or should we just keep them thinking she's _missing_?"

Akio stepped forward, holding up his zanpakuto. "I'll have to be dead in order for you to do that."

Haruki's chin rose. "You're going up against Sakiko? I'm surprised. I thought you were in love with milady."

Akio furrowed his brow, clenching his zanpakuto firmly. "I was in love with Sakiko, but not this one. I was in love with the one who never stopped smiling and laughing and cared about everyone else probably a little bit too much but I'm not in love with this Sakiko. This Sakiko is evil and heartless."

Sakiko's expression, under Mari's tight scrutiny, revealed her sadness at his words and she could see just a glimmer of the old Saki she knew and loved but it quickly hardened and she crossed her arms. "It's a shame you're not in love with me, Akio. It would make it all that much better to kill you because it would hurt you so much more."

"Regardless," Akio barely let her finish her sentence, "I'll kill you both without hesitation if you take even one step towards Mari."

Mari grasped her own zanpakuto, feeling guilty at letting Yumichika and Akio protect her this way but just as she prepared to withdraw it, Sakiko's chin lifted and she smiled. "Yumichika." Haruki snapped his fingers and to Mari's surprise, Yumichika took a step forward. "Kill the princess."

The next second, Yumichika was on top of Mari, holding his zanpakuto to her throat, the look in his eyes the one he always had before when Sakiko had him under her spell. Mari swallowed hard, feeling tears in her eyes as she clenched his shoulders, meeting his gaze before whispering, "Yumichika, if it's you that takes away my life then I'm okay with it. Live on and be happy. I know you love me and I know that they're the ones doing this to you and I forgive you, okay? I love you more than anything."

For a split second, his eyes softened and he looked as if he might pull away but the spell regained control of him and he tensed his arm, ready to slash her throat but the next moment went by in a blur. She saw a flash of blood and then she was gazing at the blue sky and for a moment, she thought the blood was her own blood but when she turned her head, Yumichika was lying on the floor with a deep gash in his arm, clenching it tightly and his face showing what excruciating pain he was in. She was pulled to her feet by a strong hand on her wrist and she had to tear her gaze away from Yumichika to look behind her to see Akio, holding up his zanpakuto, which was stained with blood.

Sakiko laughed loudly where she stood. "Yes, this is working perfectly like I thought it would. Yumichika, on your feet, you little baby. Are you crying from that little scratch on your arm?"

Mari watched as Yumichika climbed to his feet, clenching his arm tightly and the pain still showed on his face as he let his arm go limp, using the other to hold his sword before her gaze fell to the blood drenching her clothes. She lifted her wide eyes to Sakiko, withdrawing her sword. "How... how dare you? I'll kill you." She did her quickest flash step towards her but it didn't last long until she was face-to-face with Sakiko and she was being lifted off her feet by her hair. Not ironically, Haruki wasn't in his spot beside Sakiko.

"Princess," she heard his voice softly murmur behind her, "I should let you know now that you'll never be able to get a single scratch on Sakiko and there's no point in trying. I suggest you watch patiently while your own protector takes the life of your beloved because there's not much else you can do."

He turned her and tossed her back near where Yumichika and Akio stood facing each other and when she landed on her bottom, Yumichika spun towards her, lifting up his sword. Akio's eyes were wide as he did a flash step too quick to see in front of her and he gave Yumichika's chest a deep cut, leaving him stumbling backwards.

Mari's hands clenched to fists, feeling her breathing increase. "Akio, stop," she screamed, "Stop! You have to stop, please!"

Akio gave her a sideways glance, not wanting Yumichika out of his sight. "Mari, he'll kill you if I don't protect you. This isn't easy for me either."

Mari jumped to her feet. "Don't protect me, then! Let him kill me! I'd rather him do it then the degenerate Bonnie and Clyde back there."

"Nobody's going to touch you, Mari," Akio insisted, "You're going to be safe."

She stomped her foot. "I don't _want _to be safe if he's not! He's _everything _to me."

Akio took a deep breath and then another. "Mari, I have to do my job. I'm not doing this for you anymore. I'm doing this for your father. He took good care of me for years and this was his dying wish. I already lost him one daughter, even if he's dead, I can't lose him another."

Mari opened her mouth to speak again but Yumichika and Akio were already speeding towards each other in multiple clashes and it was difficult to keep up but she could tell that Akio was overwhelming Yumichika. Akio was incredibly strong; Yumichika was strong as well but not strong enough and the thought was killing her. She felt physical pain when Yumichika was left a bloody mess on the ground and her hands trembled as she took slow steps towards him but as she passed Akio, he took her wrist.

"Mari... I'm sorry," he murmured, "he's not dead yet. He's just passed out."

Mari felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at his words; 'he's not dead _yet'_. She slowly turned towards Haruki and Sakiko, Akio doing the same a moment after and her hands were clenched into fists. Sakiko had a false pout on her lips, shaking her head. "What a shame. Comrades killing comrades." Her pout became a smile and she cocked her head to one side. "What about sisters killing sisters then?"

Akio stepped forward, holding up his sword coated in Yumichika's blood. "I told you before, I'll tell you again. I'll die before Mari will even get a scratch on her."

Mari's insides churned and she felt weak, her eyes beginning to feel more like cinderblocks in their sockets, her hands hanging down past her hips as she gazed at Sakiko. Although she was her sister, Mari was convinced she wanted nothing more than to see her suffer just as much, if not more, as Yumichika was. She withdrew her zanpakuto and lifted it with her heavy arms.

"Sakiko," she announced, with a low, grave voice, "I don't care who you are to me anymore. If Yumichika is dead, I want you dead. If you're doubting me, then I dare you to give me one reason why I should love you anymore, regardless of whether you're my sister or the dirt on the bottom of my shoes. I want you dead."

Sakiko smirked, lifting her chin, putting a hand on her hip. "Looks like we're on the same page then." She turned to Haruki. "Take care of Akio. I want his head."

Mari clenched her jaw tightly as Akio was practically dragged away from Mari's side and she held her sword up to Sakiko, her hands trembling with anger and hatred. "I'll make you suffer like you made Yumichika suffer."

Sakiko withdrew her sword at her hip, giving her a chuckle. "What are you going to do, Mari? If he dies, I mean. What is his captain going to say? Or, even worse, what is _Ikkaku_ going to say about Yumichika dying in your care?"

Mari grinded her teeth, flying towards Sakiko before slamming down her blade as hard as she could, the clang of her sword hitting Sakiko's echoing. She lashed out, swinging her sword towards her over and over but Sakiko easily blocked each blow.

"What is this, Mari?" Sakiko smiled, "It seems you've learned how to hold a sword."

Mari slid back, panting with anger rather than tire as she lifted her sword. "Storm, Sukai Mizu!" The rain began pouring down, drawing even the attention of Akio and Haruki during their battle; all three of her observers had surprised expressions shadowing their faces. She could also feel Yumichika's tired eyes on her, and she could almost hear his voice telling her not to release her zanpakuto. She had only ever become exhausted from using it but she'd never used it very long; if this battle lasted and she over exerted herself, she knew very well that she could die but the thought didn't bother her. Her blade fell into the water and Sakiko furrowed her brow, taking a step back, holding an arm up. Mari watched as the water soaked into Sakiko's hair and clothes and skin, becoming so drenched that her clothes and hair clung to her pale skin. Mari's head tilted to one side, feeling just as drenched as Sakiko looked, the water dripping from her lips down to her chin. "Sakiko, I could kill you right now. I'm practically holding you in my hand." Mari lifted her hand to show Sakiko her palm. "If I gave just a little squeeze, you would die."

The next second, Mari felt the warmth of Akio's back, even in his wet clothes, against hers followed shortly by the clang of swords and she didn't need to pull her eyes away from Sakiko to see that Haruki had tried to kill Mari and Akio was protecting her. Mari closed her eyes, tilting her head back.

"I find peace in the rain," she murmured, "Maybe it's because I've always had to live in sadness. Growing up, I was sad because everyone ignored me and spoiled you. When I became the clan heiress, I was sad because my sister vanished and my parents were dead. When I lost my memories, I was sad because I was so alone and the only person who ever got close to me in that time was so misinformed about me that he couldn't stand me. When I met Yumichika, I was so happy. He was my happiness. He was my flashlight in the darkness. I thought he was a sign that my life would start looking upwards." Her eyes cracked open so she could gaze at the sky and the rain pouring down. "Sadly, I was mistaken. Our relationship was misused, tossed around, stepped on, and dilapidated in every way like it only meant anything to me and him. Our relationship was fried but we continued on through the struggle with the hope that one day, it would pass and he and I could be one and we could finally be together in peace. Now he is dying and we still have yet to feel that peace." Mari slowly lowered her gaze to her sister who was gazing at Mari with skepticism, still holding her arms up protectively. "I was always just the inferior younger sister who got lucky and you were consumed with jealousy. You want to know something? If I had the choice, things wouldn't be like this. I don't even want to be the head. If I had Yumichika and Akio by my side, I would be okay."

Mari heard another clang behind her and the warmth of Akio's back against hers disappeared but she knew he was defending her by the sound of their swords clanging together. She closed her eyes again and listened to the sounds of their swords and the sounds of the occasional slashing of skin and after a few moments there was a thud, and then silence. She opened her eyes and slowly turned to see Akio lying on the ground beside Yumichika, just as bloody and messy and she took a deep breath, lifting her hands. She watched as both Sakiko and Haruki attempted to move towards her but they both became stiff and unable to move and Mari showed them the palm of her hand again.

"I'll repeat what I said," Mari told them, "I _was_ the inferior younger sister before. But now... now I have power." She furrowed her brow, her fingers twitching. "Haruki... your spirit energy is _extremely_ powerful, I can see that. It should be easy for you to break free of this simple trick of mine, however, your spirit energy is that of a hollow's. Therefore, my zanpakuto, once it takes ahold of you, has the advantage. What exactly are you?"

Haruki gazed at her a long moment before laughing. "What am I? I'm none other than a vasto lorde of Hueco Mundo."

Mari's eyebrows twitched, her gaze darting from Haruki to Sakiko. "So you went as far as tangling with the likes of these guys, Saki? Maybe you are desperate." She lifted her hand carrying the hilt of her sword over her head. "I'm sorry you two thought you could defeat me but you must rethink; after killing my beloved and my best friend and then challenging me, the princess of the Suzuki clan, to a battle to the death, you must have thought there was something wrong with your logic." She laughed before throwing down her arm carrying the hilt until Haruki became nothing more than a mess of blood and gore. She returned her gaze to Sakiko, who's eyes were wide before she squeezed them closed, putting her fists to her head and letting out a blood curdling scream before she withdrew her sword.

"No, it wasn't you," she shouted, "It was supposed to be Akio if it happened at all. You couldn't have killed him. You're too weak."

Mari smiled, holding up the hilt of her bladeless sword until the water formed into a new blade and she held it in a fighting stance. "I'll admit I did use a pretty unfair trick on him but if I didn't, how else was I supposed to win? Akio's much stronger than I am and if he can't beat him, I've got no chance. I'll fight you fair and square, though. Sister versus sister."

Sakiko bared her teeth before flash stepping towards Mari and swinging down her sword, which Mari easily blocked. "Why are you doing this to me?" she screamed and Mari felt puzzled but she brushed it off as she and Sakiko went through numerous clashes. Finally, Sakiko fell to the floor in exhaustion and Mari kept her guard up, glancing back at Yumichika to see him very faintly blinking his eyes and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sakiko, I don't know if you really loved him or if you were just saying that to make him work for you but I need to ask you, now that he's gone. Was he manipulating you? Or were you the one pulling the strings?"

She turned to look at Sakiko again to see her leaning against the wall lining the edges of the rooftop, panting, her blank eyes facing the sky which was still pouring rain; she looked like a disaster. "He wanted... my soul. He said I would get what I wanted if he could eat me. He's... like a hollow." Mari watched as Sakiko's breathing slowed until it stopped and for a fearful moment, Mari thought she was dead; she hadn't realized how much she cared for her sister until she considered her really dead but then Sakiko blinked before gazing around with wide eyes. "Where... am I?" Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and rushed to Akio's side, her eyes wide. "What happened to Akio?" She held his face in her hands, tears welling in her eyes. "Oh, my poor baby, what happened to him? And that soul reaper over there, too! What happened?"

Mari's eyes widened but she didn't let her guard down in case it was a trick, kneeling down beside Sakiko. "Don't you remember, Sakiko? You did this."

Sakiko turned to look at Mari and her eyes grew so wide, they looked as if they might pop out of her head. "Mari? What _is_ going on? Last I saw you, you were so short and so skinny that you were shapeless. What is this? You've really blossomed overnight." And she cocked her head to one side, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean, I did this? I have no recollection of doing such a thing. Why would I hurt Akio? Or that man over there? I don't even _know_ him."

Mari gently reached up, feeling Sakiko's forehead. "You're really warm, Saki. Do you want to go inside and lie down?"

Sakiko nodded. "I feel a little dizzy, now that you mention it. But let's take care of these two first."


	29. Chapter 29

The next morning, Mari sat at the living room table, gazing at Sakiko, Akio, and Yumichika, all bandaged up and asleep in spare cots Mari had mustered up around the apartment. Her eyelids felt as heavy as cinderblocks and she couldn't stop restlessly shaking her knee as she gazed at them with wide eyes and a furrowed brow; she didn't trust Sakiko for one second. She didn't want to leave her alone with Yumichika and Akio while they were vulnerable so she stayed up through the night, watching them sleep cautiously. She took a deep breath, getting to her feet and gingerly approaching Sakiko as she slept before she knelt down and touched her forehead to see that it wasn't warm anymore; she felt normal. Mari sighed, getting to her feet as she gazed worriedly at Akio and Yumichika. Akio's cuts were deep but he had much fewer than Yumichika did. Both of them had bled enough to worry her, however.

Just as Mari felt as if she'd fall asleep on her feet, Akio began to stir and she jumped to his side. "Where am I?" he mumbled, scratching his head. The final blow Haruki gave to him knocked him out and as he must've recalled it, he gasped. "Mari, where's Haruki? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Mari put a finger to her lips before gesturing to Yumichika and Akio nodded sheepishly before gazing at her, eager for answers. "Haruki is dead. You don't have to worry about him anymore. I took care of him. Just like you said, he didn't get a single scratch on me."

Akio sat up, gazing at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean you _took care of him_? He's dead? You killed him?"

Mari slowly nodded. "We'll talk about this later. You need to rest."

He shook his head, grasping her wrist as she attempted to stand. "I don't need rest. I need to know what happened."

Mari sighed, sitting back down. "Nothing happened. I released my zanpakuto and it started to rain, which you saw. But what you didn't know is that once the rain from my released zanpakuto gets into someone's skin, I could kill them because I can turn any drop of that rain into a blade. So I cut him up into tiny pieces."

He gazed at her in disbelief for a moment but it gradually transformed into fear. "What about Sakiko? Is she okay?"

Mari nodded again, gesturing to Sakiko and his fear became relief. "She's okay. But is it safe for her to be here? She's just at fault for all of this as Haruki."

"I know," Mari sighed, gazing at Sakiko as she slept, "but after I killed Haruki, she seemed like she went crazy but then all of the sudden she acted like nothing happened. It was like she's forgotten the past few years. I don't know if I trust her but she was burning up so I brought her in here."

Akio's eyes grew soft as he gazed at Sakiko and he took a deep breath. "I really hope it's true."

Mari nodded. "Me too." She glanced back at the table where she was sitting. "Can you stand? I can make you some breakfast."

"That'd be nice." She helped him to his feet and walked him over to the table. "I'm hungry but I don't want anything too heavy, if that's okay with you."

Mari nodded again, helping him sit before hurrying to the kitchen and putting something to eat together for him, also making a plate for herself and Yumichika and Sakiko before returning to find Yumichika and Akio sitting together quietly at the table. She set a plate in front of each of them and one in front of herself seated across the table from them and one beside her for Sakiko. She nibbled on her food, eying Yumichika and Akio; Akio was eating slowly and Yumichika had a pained expression on his face, gazing at the food.

"Do you want something else?" Mari asked him, "I'll make you whatever you like."

He lifted his gaze to her and sighed, shaking his head. "It's not the food."

Mari set down her chopsticks, gazing at him. "What's wrong? Are you in pain anywhere? Should I change your bandages?"

He shook his head again, meeting her gaze. "Mari, I... I just wanted to tell you that I'm really, really sorry. Even though I wasn't in control of my body yesterday, I still heard every word you said and it was killing me to see a blade to your throat and my hand holding the hilt. I know you tried to stop him but Akio did what he had to do and I don't blame him for injuring me like this."

Mari shook her head. "It's okay, Yumichika. Really. I know that you wouldn't have done that to me."

"But I did, and..." He turned his gaze to Akio, sighing. "Akio, I'm sorry. I sort of... kissed the girl you love."

For a moment, Mari thought Akio would be upset but instead he scratched his head, chuckling sheepishly. "Well, I... guess we're even." Yumichika gazed at him with a puzzled look on his face. "I sort of... slept with the girl you love."

There was a long moment of silence as Yumichika gazed at Akio's sheepishly smiling face before Yumichika cocked his head to one side. "What was that, Akio? I don't think I heard you right."

Just at that moment, Sakiko sat up behind them, gazing around and yawning. "Wh... where am I?"

"Saki," Akio answered slowly, "do you remember anything about yesterday?"

Sakiko scratched her head, gazing at him curiously. "I remember waking up and seeing the sky before I saw you and that soul reaper really hurt. I remember seeing Mari... _god_, she was gorgeous. What's been going on?"

Akio slowly, gingerly, crawled towards her and touched her face. "Saki," he murmured, "please tell me this is real."

Sakiko gazed at him with wide, puzzled eyes. "What is real?"

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as tightly as he could with his injured arms. "I'm so happy," he murmured, "I knew that wasn't really you. Sakiko, do you know what's happened these past few years? Of course you don't, you lost your memories. I should explain it."

Sakiko was gazing at him with such utter confusion, Mari had trouble keeping her guard up because it appeared so real. "I lost my memories?" Sakiko repeated softly, "Why? What happened?"

Akio sat in a more comfortable position, meeting her gaze and even from across the room, Mari could see the true happiness shining in his face as he took her hand in his lap. He truly was in love with her. She rested her head on the table as he explained the everything that had occurred, every detail beginning from when Sakiko was raped to just yesterday before she had awoken. Mari knew Sakiko well enough to know that she couldn't fake that look of terror and disgust on her face and after he had finished the story, a heavy silence fell upon them and Mari lifted her head, watching the two of them closely. They were so still that it appeared alien to her; almost as if they were statues.

Suddenly, the sound of Yumichika clearing his throat broke the silence and startled Mari a bit, which went unnoticed. When all eyes were on him, he was glaring at Akio with narrowed eyes and clenched fists. "What was that you said earlier, Akio? I don't think I heard you right."

Mari's eyes fluttered open and she found herself facing the window, gazing up at the morning blue sky and a smile crept on her lips. She stretched, sitting up and gazing around, her heart pounding as she comfortably squeezed two handfuls of her blanket before climbing out of bed. She changed into one of her fancy kimono, which was much more comfortable to her than the clothing she wore in the world of the living. She paused to scratch Suki's head before slipping out of the room, closing the door and glancing into each room until she finally decided to slip outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. She smiled, flipping her hair to one shoulder as she trotted towards the gate, nodding at the guards as they opened it for her. She walked slowly, taking in the scenery and smiling to herself as she nodded at all of the passing soul reapers before she finally arrived at Yumichika's home and she slid the door open without knocking, peering inside.

"Yumichika?" she called, "Are you home?"

When she heard no answer, she nibbled on her lip, stepping inside. Thanks to her and Yumichika's near-breakup in the world of the living that lasted until they'd come home, she had grown used to sleeping alone again but it still saddened her not to see him in her home from dawn to dusk. She was, however, grateful to finally have him to herself again and she smiled, slowly gliding into the kitchen and she prepared a breakfast, setting the table and taking a seat. She played with the sleeves of her kimono until the door finally opened, revealing an exhausted looking pair of Yumichika and Ikkaku. Yumichika sat down beside Mari, giving her a smile as Ikkaku sat across from both of them, an eager expression on his face.

Ikkaku grinned at Mari, holding up his chopsticks. "There's even a plate for me," he giddily acknowledged, "I can always count on you for something good to eat, Mari."

Mari smiled at him, nodding. "I'm glad you like my cooking."

Yumichika was already taking a bite and he swallowed before kissing her cheek. "If anyone _didn't_ like your cooking, I'd be worried about them."

Mari giggled, shaking her head. "Oh, don't flatter me too much, my ego is already too inflated."

He smiled and they ate in silence until each of their plates were cleared, when Yumichika stood and gathered the dishes, taking them to the kitchen and beginning to wash them up. Ikkaku tapped his fingers on the table before sighing. "Are you guys going to tell me what happened while you were away? It's been a week since you've been back. Yumichika, you came back so injured you could hardly walk. What happened?"

"I told you," Mari interrupted, "There was someone after us and we dealt with him. That's it." Ikkaku rubbed his temples and Mari laughed. "Yumichika, let's go to my place and visit her. We can bring Ikkaku if he wants to come."

Yumichika returned and nodded. "Sure, let's go."

"Visit who?" Ikkaku asked, getting to his feet as Yumichika pulled Mari to hers.

"My sister," Mari answered. They walked silently the whole way to Mari's home and the entire walk, Ikkaku had a puzzled look shadowing his face and it was evident that he was puzzled about Mari's mention of her sister. He's never heard anything of her immediate family before.

Once they finally arrived, they found Sakiko and Akio sitting together outside, Sakiko wrapped in a blanket and the both of them were sipping tea and smiling, gazing up at the sky; although, Akio's gaze kept wandering to Sakiko and the look he gave her was one that showed the depth of his affection towards her. Sakiko noticed Mari approaching first and she lifted her gaze to her, flashing a glamorous smile. "Mari, Yumichika, good morning. Who's your friend?"

Mari smiled. "This is Ikkaku. Ikkaku, this is my sister, Sakiko."

They greeted each other and Mari sat down on the other side of Sakiko, Yumichika beside Mari and Ikkaku on the other side of Yumichika, Sakiko taking Mari's hand. "I take it you're here for an update?"

Mari gave her a sheepish smile, nodding. "I have to know. I hope you don't mind talking about it in front of Ikkaku; he's been curious too."

Sakiko shrugged, taking a deep breath. "It's very slowly been coming back to me but I think I have it all now." She scrutinized the sky, licking her lips slowly, as she put the pieces together in her mind. "The earliest I remember was before I left but after the _bad thing_ happened to me and when you became the new head. I was in my room most of the time and I spent a lot of time with Akio in there because I was sad and lonely; he didn't really say much because he never really knew what to say but I didn't really mind it since I just liked having him around. I started to crack when the elders and our own _parents_ started to push Akio into marrying you when they _knew_ how I felt about him and that was when Haruki found me. He told me he was drawn to those with broken hearts and he touched my face and told me that he could make me feel whole again. I told him what happened to me and he told me that if I made a deal with him, he would make me feel happy again; the deal was that he would make me happy in exchange for me... as in, he wanted to eat me, the way a hollow would. I would've denied it; in my head I was denying it but he had me under some kind of spell so I accepted it. Most of the time, he was controlling me. My memory of the time he was controlling me is pretty vague... but I remember when we got control of Yumichika was when he became possessed in the soul society and he stabbed you. That was when we had him in our grasp. When we were in the world of the living, not only was Haruki manipulating my body, he was manipulating my thoughts and emotions. I never would have done that stuff otherwise; believe me, you could stab me, Mari, and I still wouldn't treat you that way."

"Princess!" The voice of a servant loudly interrupted, rushing over before kneeling down before Mari. "Princess, the mission was a success."

Mari gasped, jumping to her feet. "It was a success? Show me!"

Two guards appeared behind him, and between them stood Emiko, her long, dark brown hair down to her waist and her brown eyes were huge as they met Mari's. It was visible that she had been transferred into the poorest part of the Rukon district by her clothes and the dirt on her face. She jumped up and threw her arms around Mari, Mari returning the hug as tightly as possible.

"I told you I'd find you, Emiko," Mari murmured, "I told you I would."

"And I believed you, Mari. I did."


End file.
